The Pittsburgh Steelers went 10-7 last season. How will they do in 2026 under new head coach Mike McCarthy?
The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 schedule was released on Thursday.
In Year 1 of the Mike McCarthy era, the Steelers will face the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Browns, Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans and Ravens.
Mike Tomlin never finished with a losing record with the Steelers. However, NFL analyst Moe Moton of Bleacher Report believes Pittsburgh will go 8-9 in 2026 even if Aaron Rodgers comes back.
"Pittsburgh's defense may have to limit opponents to fewer than 21 points for a chance to win early in the season," Moton wrote. "But after years of stifling play, that unit started to show signs of decline last season, giving up the seventh-most yards and ranking 17th in scoring. Even if Rodgers returns for a reunion with McCarthy, Pittsburgh will hover around .500 for much of the season."
2003. That's the last time the Steelers finished below .500. It would certainly be wild to see Pittsburgh having a losing record in Year 1 of the McCarthy era. It all depends on what Rodgers does.
With Rodgers remaining unsigned in free agency, the Steelers applied the rarely used UFA tender on the veteran QB late last month, ensuring they would be eligible to secure a compensatory draft pick if he signed with another team.
If Rodgers were to sign the tender, he would receive a 10% raise from last year's salary, which would pay him about $15 million this season. The tender also gives the Steelers exclusive negotiating rights with the quarterback if he does not sign with another team by July 22 or the first day of Pittsburgh's training camp, whichever is later.
One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Rodgers finished with 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2025. He completed 65.7% of his passes.
McCarthy and Rodgers won Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers as members of the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers told Pat McAfee a couple of months ago that he's open to playing for McCarthy again.
If Rodgers doesn't come back, the Steelers' starting QB will be Drew Allar, Will Howard or Mason Rudolph. Yikes!
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