Mike Tomlin swears he’s not “doing the same things over and over.” That quote from January. It aged worse than milk in July. Because as soon as the Steelers signed another 40-something quarterback to salvage their season, after riding that same train with Russell Wilson and limping with Ben Roethlisberger in his last days, one former QB didn’t hold back. Chase Daniel went right for the jugular, calling it what most fans were already thinking: insanity.

“You have been doing the same thing over and over,” Daniel said. “An aging quarterback, trying to resurrect his career, that needs to be propped up by the NFL’s most expensive defense.” The targets change. The dollars inflate. But the result? Still zero playoff wins since 2016. Pittsburgh’s Groundhog Day era is alive and throwing check downs – and Mike Tomlin is still holding the clipboard.

Now, let’s follow the money. The Steelers have poured a whopping $405.7 million into this season. That’s DK Metcalf’s new contract. That’s Aaron Rodgers. And add in Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, Deshon Elliott, and T.J. Watt’s hefty extension. On paper, it reads like a Super Bowl blueprint. On film? It feels like a Hail Mary in slow motion. Even Joe Thomas sees it. “Outside of Pittsburgh, everyone thinks it’s crazy to consider Mike Tomlin on the hot seat,” he said on the Rich Eisen Show. “He’s one of the greatest coaches the NFL has ever seen. He’s never had a losing season. But the people in Pittsburgh are getting restless. They want to see championships. That’s what they’re used to.” And that’s not nostalgia – it’s a warning shot. You don’t spend nearly half a billion just to sneak into Wild Card weekend.

This is the year Mike Tomlin finally gets that long-predicted wake-up call. Because this isn’t just about trying to ‘run it back’. This is about backing yourself into a $400 million corner – with a quarterback who turns 42 this season, and a coach who’s never had a losing year but hasn’t had a meaningful postseason win in almost a decade. And as Joe Thomas put it: “It’s like, hey, pressure’s on. Everybody in the front office thinks this is a team that can win the Super Bowl. And now it’s up to the coaching staff to be able to do it.” Because if this blows up? It’s not just a failed season. It’s legacy-level fallout.

Joe Thomas can even smell the desperation. “He really needs to kind of humble himself a little bit and find a way to get the rest of the locker room to buy in,” Thomas said, pointing directly at Rodgers. He called it a media circus. And questioned whether the locker room will tolerate the distractions if Rodgers isn’t instantly producing.

And Dan Orlovsky put it best: “Let me be very clear, Pittsburgh. Last six seasons, you’re the worst-running football team in the NFL. You have lost your identity as an organization. I don’t care who the quarterback is, until you fix that, it won’t matter.” Translation? This whole operation is duct-taped together with reputation and vibes, and Mike Tomlin’s ability to keep the locker room from splintering is about to face its toughest test.

If Rodgers flames out, if Arthur Smith’s offense doesn’t click, if Pittsburgh posts another 9-8 one-and-done… the pitchforks won’t be coming out. They’ll already be sharpened. And for the first time in Mike Tomlin’s storied tenure, the fanbase might be ready to wield them.

The Steelers are boom or bust with Rodgers

Andrew Siciliano didn’t sugarcoat it: “They are boom or bust like I think more than any team we’ve ever seen.” And he’s right. This isn’t building a contender over time. It’s assembling a fantasy team with real-world consequences. The Steelers aren’t hoping Rodgers is great. They need him to be. Because otherwise, as Siciliano asked bluntly: “So like we spent a lot of money, but to quote Ricky Waters, for who, for what?” And if it fails, that accountability lands squarely on Mike Tomlin’s shoulders.

Even if Rodgers still has juice, he’s now working inside Arthur Smith’s run-heavy, system-first scheme. That’s a far cry from Rodgers’ ‘matchup killer’ days with Mike McCarthy. Like Joe Thomas said, “Aaron Rodgers has the capabilities to do that, but does he have the patience to do that?” Because this isn’t about talent – it’s about surrendering control. And Rodgers has never been known to quietly defer. That’s where Mike Tomlin’s leadership becomes non-negotiable.

This could go nuclear in either direction. The Steelers might finally get the playoff magic they’ve missed for almost a decade. Or they’re staring down another .500 season, no QB of the future, and a locker room built on borrowed time. Rodgers has one year. The roster has no room for error. And Mike Tomlin? He might finally have to answer the question fans have been whispering for years: Are we actually getting better, or just stuck in a shinier version of the same old rut?