The Pittsburgh Steelers’ previous head coach Mike Tomlin was desperate to find a reliable quarterback for the 2025 season, so he went out and did business with Aaron Rodgers. At the time, many weren’t certain what to expect, but Tomlin believed it would give Pittsburgh its best chance to end the playoff drought that has persisted since their last postseason win in the 2016 season.
Justin Guido / Post-Gazette
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers chats with former head coach Mike Tomlin during a home game in Pittsburgh in the 2025 NFL season.
For Tomlin, it was a matter of evaluating the options and believing that Rodgers, even at this stage of his career, would present the best opportunity for a veteran roster ready to compete. It turned out Tomlin was almost correct, as Rodgers did deliver in a big way, leading the team to an AFC North title and a 10–7 record. Unfortunately, the result remained the same in the postseason, where the Steelers were dominated at home in a 24-point loss.
Tomlin ultimately elected to step away after that loss, and now Mike McCarthy is in town. McCarthy will be coaching the same quarterback he worked with for 13 seasons during his time with the Green Bay Packers, but under very different circumstances in Pittsburgh. With Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar competing behind Rodgers for spots on the depth chart, Rodgers will face more pressure to perform in the first month than Tomlin would have placed on him, according to Steelers insider Chris Carter, who shared the perspective via his chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"I would say he'd get like a month," Carter said when speaking on how long McCarthy would wait to bench Rodgers if he struggles big time early in 2026. "But it would also need to be that he falls so far off a cliff that it would be disastrous for a month."
Not because Rudolph, Howard, or Allar are expected to take the job, but simply because this new regime is focused on winning and won’t hesitate to make tough decisions to ensure that happens.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks into the distance with intense focus as he stands in street clothes while the team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Carter believes Rodgers’ football intelligence will be enough to carry him through this final run in 2026. However, if he does begin to struggle, McCarthy will not hesitate to make changes.
"Rodgers is one of the smarter QBs I've ever watched and even if his arm falls off -- I can tell you from what I saw over the past month, it has not -- I think he could work his way around physical issues and still make plays," Carter said. "If he bombs the first month, then they'd maybe look at changes."
Those changes could come in a multitude of ways, but it seems like Rudolph, Howard, or Allar would be sort of afterthoughts if it came to that.
Steelers Could Punt 2026 Season For Good Reason If Needed
Unless winning went out the door and McCarthy just wanted to start seeing what he has in game situations with his two young QBs. Rudolph is the veteran option but he’s just a backup. In that case, maybe McCarthy could punt the 2026 season in favor of trying to see what he has in Howard or Allar. That's only if Rodgers seriously struggled, which is not expected to happen.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Rudolph likely wouldn’t be enough, so if the Steelers were going to actually make such a major decision so early in a season to bench Rodgers, they would likely have to be open to trading for a QB or lucking into a situation on the open market if it presented itself. It’s an interesting thought from Carter, but only one that will happen if a nightmare situation unfolded and Rodgers quickly lost his battle to Father Time.
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