The Pittsburgh Steelers have a strange feeling surrounding the franchise due to the sheer amount of change that has taken over the organization since the end of the 2025 season. Mike Tomlin is not leading the team for the first time since the 2006 season, and Mike McCarthy has taken over in what was initially an unpopular hire. He has seemed to build out a good staff around him, and there is now some optimism surrounding the roster after the coaching staff was finalized and some offseason moves were made. However, the levels this team can reach are all going to come down to the quarterback position.
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Steelers' Cam Heyward celebrates with quarterback Aaron Rodgers after beating the Ravens at home in the 2025 regular season finale.
Aaron Rodgers led the Steelers to a postseason berth after winning the AFC North in the final week of the regular season. Many did not expect that from the 42-year-old quarterback, especially after two tumultuous seasons with the New York Jets. He certainly shocked some people with his play, and it will be interesting to see if he can do it again if he does decide to return for the 2026 season. Former Cleveland Browns star Josh Cribbs appeared on The Top Dawgs Show, and he revealed that he doubted Rodgers going into 2025, and he is going to doubt him again in 2026.
"If he makes a commitment to them, like, he can do that," Cribbs said. "I just think, I'm not going to count him out. I counted him out last year, I said they'd be last in the league, and he pulled a rabbit out of a hat. I was like, 'Wow, look at that. Steelers going to the playoffs. Winning season.' I just didn't think that was going to happen. I don't think they have enough in the tank [this year], he has enough in the tank as a quarterback, to lead them to a Super Bowl."
Cribbs thought the Steelers were going to be awful going into the 2025 season, but he wound up being one of the doubters that Rodgers proved wrong. The quarterback played well, but he clearly did have some limitations. His mobility was shot, and he seemed hesitant at times in the pocket. Those are two things a franchise cannot have if it wants to make it to the Super Bowl.
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Former Steelers defender James Harrison with his college teammate Josh Cribbs after a game in Pittsburgh.
Cribbs has moved the goalposts a little bit for Rodgers going into 2026. He completely doubted him in 2025 and didn't expect the Steelers to be able to do anything, now he has set the bar at going to the Super Bowl. He has changed his tune drastically when considering the fact that he thought Pittsburgh would be last in the league just a year ago.
The former All-Pro still threw some shade at Rodgers as he does not think that the quarterback has anything left in the tank. That is fair considering that the four-time league MVP will be turning 43 in the middle of the 2026 season, but he showed he still has the arm talent and the mind to be a top-half-of-the-league starting quarterback.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph in the locker room before a Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots during the 2025 season.
Steelers Still Aren't Confirmed To Have Aaron Rodgers For The 2026 Season
Cribbs was speaking as if Rodgers coming back in 2026 was confirmed, but the quarterback is still working on making a decision on his future. There is still a chance that either Mason Rudolph or Will Howard could be lined up under center for the Steelers in 2026, which would completely change the outlook on the season in Pittsburgh. Playoffs probably wouldn't even be thought to be a possibility in that case. Rodgers is the best option at quarterback, but that doesn't mean he is guaranteed to be there when the season begins.
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