The Pittsburgh Steelers are being viewed as a low-tier AFC team, in part due to Aaron Rodgers.
Entering the 2026 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to prove a lot of people wrong.
After falling to go deep into the playoffs against last season, the Steelers made some big changes this offseason. The biggest was hiring veteran head coach Mike McCarthy to replace longtime leader Mike Tomlin.
McCarthy now comes into the mix, hoping to bring a title back to this historic franchise. And he will try to make it happen with a familiar face: quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The two won a Super Bowl together with the Green Bay Packers years ago, but this is a very different circumstance. Rodgers will be turning 43 later this season, and he isn't the same player that he once was.
Despite this, he is the starting quarterback for Pittsburgh this season, and the team will hope for the best. But given his age and skill set, the Steelers are being viewed as a low-tier team in the AFC.
NFL analyst Mike Sando of The Athletic worked with multiple executives around the league to rank teams in the conference coming into the season. Pittsburgh came in ranked as the No. 10 team in the AFC.
"Overall, though, this feels like an older team that is stuck," he said. "I don't see how they get better a year older and lacking continuity."
With an older roster, the Steelers could have a hard time finding the right combination to succeed this season. But Rodgers is also one of the more interesting parts of the entire equation, with the Steelers not fully understanding what they will get from the veteran.
"The quarterback is the quarterback, and he's polarizing," another exec said. "He ain't getting younger, and you question what exactly their offense is going to look like. They are old on defense. It can go quick there."
Rodgers showed last season that he could still be decent enough to get a team to the playoffs. But at times, he looked like a shell of his former self, and with him being another year older, it may be the same thing this season.
Overall, the Steelers should be a competitive team, but they aren't expected to do much in the AFC. Of course, games aren't won on paper, and Pittsburgh could end up being a top team when all is said and done.
Pittsburgh opens the year against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13.
