​The Pittsburgh Steelers made a major change over the offseason, with veteran head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down after nearly two decades at the helm of the franchise and being replaced by former Super Bowl champion Mike McCarthy. And after a long stretch of the team’s peak seemingly being narrowly advancing to the postseason followed by an early exit, fans are hoping things might get back on track.One piece of last year’s team who is returning is veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will be back for his second season in Pittsburgh and the final of his NFL career. He will reunite with McCarthy for one final time after the pair won a Super Bowl earlier in their careers in Green Bay, and many are picturing a final grandiose run back to that stage for the duo. But one former Steelers star doesn’t see it happening.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRyan Clark, who played in Pittsburgh from 2006-2013, is now an NFL analyst with ESPN, and he recently was asked during an appearance on the network what the expectations should be for the Steelers this year. And for those fans who wanted to see Tomlin gone due to the recent string of early postseason exits, they will not be happy if the assessment comes to fruition.”This team can be slightly above average,” Clark said. “Aaron Rodgers can get this team to nine wins or 10 wins, and you maybe sneak into the playoffs.”After so many years of lackluster performances that saw the Steelers barely advance to the postseason and lose early, many fans felt a change in leadership was necessary this offseason, and they got it. So a return to the same level of play in the first year, particularly with a legendary quarterback already familiar with his head coach, would certainly be underwhelming and a disappointment for fans.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhether they can do better than that or not will be one of the biggest storylines entering the 2026 season.This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Former Steelers star predicts unsatisfactory 2026 season for the team