The Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting on a decision from free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, but with the thought that Rodgers will eventually wind up with the Steelers, SI’s Matt Verderame penciled him in as Pittsburgh’s starter for 2025. In an article ranking the best coach-quarterback pairings in the league, the Steelers came in at No. 6 with their duo of Tomlin and Rodgers, with Verderame ranking Tomlin the No. 2 coach in the NFL and Rodgers the No. 16 quarterback.
“However, most believe Rodgers will eventually wear the black and gold, putting the Steelers in a relative position of strength compared to recent years. With Tomlin on the sidelines, Pittsburgh would have a chance to win the AFC North.”
Pittsburgh finished behind the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills. Pittsburgh’s sixth-place placement feels pretty high for a duo that hasn’t experienced much postseason success lately. Rodgers is still a question mark after struggling at times last season during a 5-12 season with the New York Jets.
I understand ranking Tomlin highly given he’s gotten the most out of teams in the regular season and always has the Steelers in contention for the playoffs, but ranking him as the No. 2 head coach in the NFL when he hasn’t led the Steelers to a playoff win since 2016 feels a little bit crazy. Ranking a Tomlin-Rodgers duo over the duo of Nick Sirianni-Jalen Hurts that just won the Super Bowl is pretty wild to me.
I’m optimistic that Rodgers, if he does sign, can lead the Steelers to 10 wins and the postseason. But this ranking would conceivably put the Steelers as among one of the top Super Bowl contenders, which they simply are not. There are a few other questionable rankings, including the Detroit Lions at No. 11 with Dan Campbell and Jared Goff, as Verderame ranked Goff the 11th-best quarterback and Campbell the 11th-best head coach, and Detroit is right behind the Eagles at No. 10.
The Steelers with Rodgers and Tomlin are not a better duo than some of these teams below them. Tomlin can get the most out of his team, but he’s not a quarterback whisperer and we saw the team’s quarterback play fall off in the second half last season. I think it’s a duo that will be solid and can compete for the postseason, but being ranked at No. 6 just feels way too high for what both Rodgers and Tomlin have (or haven’t) accomplished lately.
