An offseason filled with significant changes got even more eventful this week, as Aaron Rodgers made his intentions to join the Pittsburgh Steelers official. There’s finally an identity in the quarterback room, but is it enough to truly take the Steelers to the next level? Or could Mike Tomlin finally have his first losing season in Pittsburgh? FS1’s Chris Broussard is expecting the latter.
“I expect failure,” Broussard said on First Things First on Friday. “I hate to say it, failure. In that, I think this will be the first losing season in Mike Tomlin’s career… I don’t like the way Rodgers dragged this thing out, made it about himself.”
At this point, it feels like an annual summer tradition to predict Mike Tomlin to have his first losing season. It’s been pondered year in and year out, and Tomlin just keeps willing the Steelers to winning records and playoff berths. Even last year, with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback, many doubted the Steelers’ chances, and they managed to start the season 10-3. Granted, the Steelers haven’t done anything with those winning records.
A lot of things would have to go wrong for the Steelers to finish below .500 this year. Their defense has no real question marks. New faces, Derrick Harmon and Darius Slay, should find a way to make an impact. They also each play in areas where Pittsburgh had depth issues last season.
On the offensive side of the ball, it doesn’t feel like enough has changed for the Steelers to be worse than they were last year. Neither a 36-year-old Russell Wilson nor a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers feels like the most confident option. But Pittsburgh won 10 games with Wilson and Fields. It’s hard to believe Rodgers is a considerable downgrade from that, and that he could actually give Tomlin a losing season.
Rodgers, of course, brings a lot of things with him. As a result of that, some wonder how well he’ll work with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Broussard has some concerns about that, too.
“Arthur Smith, I don’t think, is the most ingenious of an offensive coordinator,” Broussard said. “So does that mean, kind of like it was with the Jets, you lean on Aaron to do what he wants to do?”
For what it’s worth, Dan Graziano reports that Rodgers and Smith have had conversations over the last few weeks. Rodgers also spoke to Smith and others on the coaching staff during his original six-hour visit with the Steelers earlier in the offseason.
The Steelers have never been a team to let one player take over in the way many are worried that Rodgers will. However, if he does take some things into his own hands, it won’t be the worst thing in the world. Rodgers might not be the same physically, but he still processes the game at an elite level.
At the end of the day, Rodgers did sign at a solid time. He’ll have mandatory minicamp next week. There’s also training camp and the preseason later this summer to fine-tune things. The Steelers will hope all of that gets ironed out and keep Mike Tomlin from having his first losing season.
