For months, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been flirting with Aaron Rodgers. While there are several dots connecting the two parties, nothing is done yet. Rodgers is still a free agent, and he could opt not to sign with the Steelers. He made it clear anything is on the table for his future. However, analyst Maggie Gray believes that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan’s jobs could be in danger if Pittsburgh doesn’t sign Rodgers.
“If Rodgers ends up giving them the stiff arm, whether it’s because he ends up retiring, or change of heart, or goes on some kind of Ayahuasca trip and never comes back, this could be fireable of Tomlin and Omar Khan in Pittsburgh,” Gray said Monday on the Maggie and Perloff show. “Because if I’m the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I just watched you guys botch this to high heavens.
“If you really thought you had some kind of handshake deal with Rodgers, and he screws you out of this in the back end, I’m blaming you. I’m not blaming the hippie, Ayahuasca guy who’s shown everybody exactly who he is and what he is.”
Many analysts have stated that they believe the Steelers signing Rodgers could lead to Tomlin being fired. Their thought process is usually that Rodgers could be more of a hassle than he’s worth. That could lead to the Steelers playing poorly and looking like a circus.
However, Gray shares the opposite opinion, thinking Khan’s job is in danger, too. If the Steelers don’t sign Rodgers after waiting all this time, they might look like a joke. They allowed the rest of the free agent quarterback market to dry up, leaving Rodgers as their only real option. Without him, Mason Rudolph will likely be their starting quarterback. In that situation, they likely aren’t serious playoff contenders.
Does that mean Tomlin and Khan will be fired right before the season starts if Rodgers isn’t on the team? Almost certainly not. First, there’s been no indication that Khan’s job could be in danger. Also, earlier this offseason, Art Rooney II reaffirmed his commitment to Tomlin. Barring very extreme circumstances, it doesn’t feel like there’s a world in which Tomlin and Khan get fired before the season starts.
Tomlin and others have expressed belief in Rudolph as their starter. While that might not be ideal, the Steelers have made the playoffs with Rudolph before. They could probably still fight to have a non-losing season.
Despite his lack of recent playoff success, it doesn’t seem like Tomlin is on the hot seat. The Steelers might have an underwhelming 2025 season without Rodgers, but that probably wouldn’t be enough to get Tomlin fired. He’d likely get another shot to improve in 2026, perhaps after drafting Pittsburgh’s next potential franchise quarterback.
