The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to finally break their playoff win drought in 2025 with Aaron Rodgers under center and a revamped secondary, and while the Steelers feel they’ve upgraded their roster, ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks more of the same is coming. Graziano looked at 12 different quarterback situations and provided the most likely and long shot outcomes for every team. For the Steelers, he thinks it’s going to be a rough go with Rodgers.
“Rodgers has yet another poor-to-mediocre season, but the Steelers’ defense keeps them in games. They run it enough to steal a few low-scoring matchups, finish 9-8 and contend for the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoff field. Then Rodgers retires at the end of the season, and the Steelers look at next year’s draft class for the long-term QB they really need,” Graziano wrote.
While the Steelers looking for their quarterback of the future in the 2026 NFL Draft is a very plausible outcome, it would be a letdown if the Steelers finished 9-8 and were only in the hunt for the final wild card spot in the AFC. Nine wins might not be enough to get in, and after winning 10 games last season, that’s the number the team is looking to match or beat this year. A regression after the offseason the Steelers have had would go down as a disappointment.
Graziano’s long-shot outcome is much more kind to the Steelers’ chances. Graziano writes that if Rodgers can have another “brilliant” season and the offensive line performs, then the sky is limit.
“The Steelers win the AFC North and finally break their playoff drought, advancing to the Super Bowl, where Rodgers has a chance for a storybook ending to his career — and retires after the season.”
That’s the sort of outcome that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are striving for. The Steelers have a lot of talented pieces, but the question is whether they can play up to their potential. That includes Rodgers, who didn’t have a great year last season. If he can return to the player he was in Green Bay for just one more season, the Steelers have a real chance to make a run. The same can be said if the secondary plays like it’s the best in football and works in tandem with the pass rush to make life difficult for opposing offenses.
There’s a lot that has to go right for the Steelers to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. It’s probably much more likely they go 9-8 and fizzle out in the first round of the playoffs than hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. But there’s at least a chance that the Steelers’ collection of talent pulls together for a run, and they could send Rodgers off to the sunset with his second ring.
