Maybe NFL fans and pundits shouldn't sleep on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In a story called "1 Reason Every NFL Team Shouldn't Be Overlooked in 2026," NFL analyst Alex Kay of Bleacher Report named Aaron Rodgers' history of success with Mike McCarthy for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers and McCarthy were a lethal QB-coach duo during their time together on the Green Bay Packers.
"Although he's no longer the elusive gunslinger he was during his youth, Rodgers can still rekindle enough magic and display enough mastery in McCarthy's scheme to make the Steelers a truly dangerous opponent in 2026," Kay wrote.
McCarthy and Rodgers won Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers as members of the Packers. Rodgers, who will retire from the NFL after next season, called it a "full circle" moment to play for McCarthy again.
"Honestly, sitting in the first 8 o'clock meeting on Monday took me back to being a 22-year-old kid sitting in Green Bay," Rodgers said. "Listening to Mike's first meeting in 2006. It's fun. I mean, it's like 'pinch me' moments. It's been happening the last few days, getting to sit next to [offensive line coach] James Campen in the meetings is fun. [Assistant offensive line coach] Jahri Evans was a teammate of mine. He's on his staff now as a Hall of Famer -- should be a Hall of Famer. That's pretty cool too. A lot of connections."
One of the top quarterbacks in NFL history, Rodgers put up 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. The future Hall of Famer completed 65.7% of his passes.
The Steelers won the AFC North last season but lost to the Houston Texans at home in the wild-card round of the 2026 playoffs.
Rodgers has been in the NFL since 2005. He has played for the Packers, New York Jets and Steelers and has 527 career passing touchdowns and 66,274 career passing yards in the regular season.
A four-time MVP, Rodgers hasn't won a playoff game since the 2020 season, while the Steelers haven't won a postseason game since the 2016 season.
It will be intriguing to see how Rodgers and Co. perform in 2026.
