Aaron Rodgers Won’t Help Mike Tomlin Win as Steelers HC Takes On More Than He Can Handle, Per Insider

After two chaotic years in New York, Aaron Rodgers is back in the Meadowlands, this time dressed in black and gold. At 41, he’s suiting up for the Steelers, a move that has fans in the Steel City buzzing with hope. But memories of his final Jets season still linger, where he stumbled to a 5-12 record and left behind a franchise in ruins. That collapse even cost Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas their jobs mid-season, showing just how messy Rodgers’ exit really was. Yet, not everyone in Pittsburgh is ready to buy into the Rodgers revival.

The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo believes it will be an “up-and-down season” for the veteran. He explained that Rodgers still has the arm talent to flash brilliance, but age will catch up whenever he faces heavy pressure. “The Steelers’ defense has often lugged anemic offenses to the playoffs, even with Mason Rudolph, Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett behind center. That side of the ball gives Pittsburgh a reasonably high floor. Rodgers will establish the ceiling. He still has an elite arm and is going to make some throws this year that remind you why he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.” But then comes the prediction, where the reporter stated that Rodgers might not be the answer for the latter part of the crucial season. Why?

It’s because “he’s also going to have moments when he looks like a 41-year-old quarterback, especially when he faces pressure. I predict an up-and-down season from Rodgers. The key will be for the defense to live up to its collective paycheck and for Rodgers to have his flashes of brilliance in the right moments. The key will be for the defense to live up to its collective paycheck and for Rodgers to have his flashes of brilliance in the right moments,” he said.

Now, if we look at last year’s stats, the veteran still had flashes. He put up 3,897 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, but he also let it fly 584 times, the third-highest total of his career. The problem? Most of those passes came because the Jets were playing from behind. And while Rodgers’ numbers offer some optimism, the spotlight isn’t only on him—HC Mike Tomlin is under just as much pressure to prove he can push this team past its playoff wall.

That’s where Mike Florio steps in with a warning. While calling Tomlin one of the best coaches in football, he questioned the recent desperate moves Pittsburgh has made just to win a playoff game. Florio admitted, “I think this year there’s a chance he’s bitten off more than he can chew with some of these desperation moves the team has made to try to win a playoff game.” Then added, “I picked the Steelers to win this weekend, I think they’ll take care of the Jets, but I’m not sure this is going to work because that conference is too good.” And history isn’t exactly on the Steelers’ side either.

They haven’t made it past the divisional round since 2016, marking the franchise’s longest playoff drought of the Super Bowl era. It’s also the ninth-longest active streak in the league. Even worse, Pittsburgh’s playoff exits all look eerily familiar. They fall behind early, then spend the rest of the game chasing shadows. It happened in the AFC Championship in 2017, again in the divisional round in 2018, and most recently in the wild-card heartbreakers of 2021, 2022, and 2023.

So while Florio believes Rodgers’ presence cranks up the expectations, he also warns that those same expectations could break their season. But too much expectation isn’t the only hurdle the Steelers have to overcome.

Mike Tomlin’s Steelers’ roster faces major chemistry questions

The Steelers pulled off one of the most aggressive roster overhauls in recent memory. Mike Tomlin’s crew added two star corners in Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, paired Aaron Rodgers with wideout DK Metcalf, and brought in Jonnu Smith to bulk up the tight end room. But as they get ready for the opener at MetLife against the Jets, one analyst is sounding the alarm, saying the Steelers are “not a cohesive unit yet.”

And for Moe Moton, the concern isn’t about talent but timing. “Now, usually when you slap a team together like that in one offseason, it doesn’t work out. You have all that talent but they’re not a cohesive unit yet,” NFL analyst Moton explained. He did point out that Rodgers, Metcalf, and Ramsey are proven veterans, but experience alone doesn’t guarantee instant chemistry.

Meanwhile, QB has been a carousel in Pittsburgh. Last year, Justin Fields opened the season and went 4-2 while Russell Wilson healed up. Wilson then jumped in and ripped off six wins in his first seven starts before the team collapsed down the stretch, dropping in five straight, including the Wild Card game against Baltimore.

So the question becomes, can Tomlin finally break through? As Moton framed it, “How does that work out in Pittsburgh with Mike Tomlin, who’s never had a losing season? Does Pittsburgh finally get that breakthrough?” For now, Rodgers is the centerpiece. This could be his last ride, and the Steelers are betting that his arm can pull them out of a years-long slump. If not, Pittsburgh might be right back at square one next offseason, searching for yet another quarterback.