The Pittsburgh Steelers could begin next season 2-2.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been predicted to start the 2026 NFL season "mild."
NFL analyst Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report thinks the Steelers will go 2-2 to begin next season.
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.
"We'll work under the assumption here that Aaron Rodgers is going to be the Steelers' starting quarterback in 2026," Davenport wrote. "With that being the case, the Steelers will likely look a lot like their 2025 iteration—a nine or 10-win team. Pittsburgh's Week 2 matchup at Gillette Stadium looks like a loss. A Week 4 trip to Cleveland looks like a win. That means Pittsburgh needs a split between the Falcons in Week 1 and Bengals in Week 3 (both at home) to start the season 2-2."
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.
If Rodgers doesn't come back, the Steelers' starting QB will be Drew Allar, Will Howard or Mason Rudolph.