​Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in an odd spot as 2026 approaches. After a roller-coaster first year in black and gold, Rodgers helped Pittsburgh sneak into the postseason, but the Steelers were embarrassed in the Wild Card round by the Houston Texans. Undeterred, Pittsburgh opted to double down in 2026, bringing Rodgers back and pairing him with his former head coach, Mike McCarthy, for what could be his final season. Yet one ESPN analyst remains cautious about the Steelers’ trajectory.
On First Take, Kevin Clark shared his concerns about Pittsburgh’s outlook. “I am concerned about the Pittsburgh Steelers. First of all, you look at some of these numbers last year for Aaron Rodgers, who is one of the most talented players to ever play the position and still has a lot of good qualities, but he threw the ball quicker and shorter than basically anybody on record in the history of football last year.” He added that this wasn’t simply a product of Arthur Smith’s former offensive system or of the receivers, even though Rodgers has better options this season. Clark argued that the root issue might be age, suggesting Rodgers was hampered by limited mobility in the pocket and inability to push the ball downfield with authority.
Clark has ample reason for concern about a 42-year-old Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense. In 2025, Rodgers totaled 3,322 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions, finishing with a 71.9 QB Impact Score per PFN’s QB Impact Metric, which placed him 29th among quarterbacks. The lack of downfield accuracy and velocity, he implied, stems from waning athleticism that prevents Rodgers from buying time to threaten vertically. That limitation could invite defenses to stack the line of scrimmage against Pittsburgh, clogging the middle and forcing the Steelers’ running backs—Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle—to fight for every yard with fewer favorable looks.
Clark stressed another practical concern: the coaching dynamic. “You add in the fact that Mike Tomlin is leaving, and Mike McCarthy is not anywhere close to Mike Tomlin as a coach in my book,” he said. If we’re talking about teams that might not replicate their prior success, Pittsburgh could sit near the top of that list. The change from Tomlin to McCarthy is real, and it matters. Tomlin managed to keep the Steelers competitive at or above .500 in every season despite a gradual dip in talent, whereas McCarthy’s tenure with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 to 2024, despite a star-studded roster, featured underachievement relative to expectations.
With Pittsburgh drawing a first-place schedule in 2026, the Steelers may face a tougher slate as Rodgers enters what could be his final run in the league. The combination of an aging quarterback who struggles to push the ball downfield, a system transition from Tomlin to McCarthy, and the ambitions of a Pittsburgh team that expects to contend creates a high-stakes scenario for the franchise. The 2026 season could become a defining chapter for Rodgers and a proving ground for McCarthy’s approach in a league that evolves rapidly around smarter schemes and more dynamic defenses. As the Steelers prepare for the year ahead, fans and observers alike will be watching closely to see if Pittsburgh can navigate these challenges and recapture the stability and success that defined the Tomlin era, or if the current lineup signals a tougher road to contention.