The Pittsburgh Steelers open up the 2026-27 campaign with a lot of high hopes. The Steelers, who know it will be Aaron Rodgers' last season, have to play well if they want to send him off on the right foot.
There's a lot to like about what the Steelers can do, but ultimately, it will come down to how Rodgers looks. He's a future Hall of Famer, but obviously isn't the guy that he once was. While that's an issue for Pittsburgh, it doesn't sound like the players on the roster are too worried about him. In fact, some guys are even trying to play as well as possible to send him off on a high note.
“We know our goal,” linebacker Alex Highsmith said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Harlan. “Not just get to the playoffs but when we get there to make noise. To win and go to the Super Bowl. But there definitely is extra added motivation to send ‘eight’ out the right way.”
“Obviously, his resume speaks for itself,” general manager Omar Khan said. “He’s been one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and he’s been a great leader to have around here.
“When you’re in my shoes, it’s pretty cool to be around great players, Hall of Fame-type players. I’ve been blessed to the point where I’ve been around a lot of these guys, and it’s never enough.”
If we get anything like the Rodgers we saw earlier throughout his career, the Steelers will have a real opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl. If we get a similar player to what we've seen over the past few years, Pittsburgh will probably be just about average.
That isn't to say it can't win a Super Bowl, but the organization has to hope Rodgers is a bit better than he was a season ago, though it's cool to see players and others in the organization sticking up for him and trying to win.
If Rodgers can stay healthy and the Steelers make plays around him, there's an outside chance of winning it all, which is all they can ask for.
