​From the moment Mike Tomlin stepped down as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, the franchise found itself in a period of intense change. A new regime under Mike McCarthy, along with a completely rebuilt coaching staff, paired with Aaron Rodgers returning to play for his former mentor, created a sense of upheaval. The front office also added a slate of new players, amplifying expectations. Yet with training camp looming in less than a month, it’s hard not to feel that not every offseason move has been the right one, and several missteps could potentially hinder the team when the regular season arrives. Here is our breakdown of the three biggest mistakes the Steelers made this offseason.
Last season, Rodgers appeared more like a pedestrian quarterback than a franchise-altering signal-caller, lacking his usual poise and opting to unload the football as quickly as possible on many plays. So, naturally, the Steelers decided to bring him back and double his salary. If Rodgers were the missing piece that would push the team into contender status, that would be one thing, but paying Rodgers at that level over one of the other quarterbacks on the roster seems more likely to yield 9-10 wins and a mid-round draft pick, rather than a championship run.
When the news broke that McCarthy would be the new head coach, it became clear that the offensive coordinator would serve primarily as a facilitator for McCarthy’s system. This offense would belong to McCarthy, not to a young, innovative playcaller who could eventually grow into a head coaching role. That dynamic appears to be the fate for Brian Angelichio as well, who has essentially signaled that the game plan will be finalized by McCarthy. In other words, the Steelers may have traded away the promise of an inventive, evolving offense in favor of a rigid, top-down approach that could limit long-term growth for the sake of short-term alignment with the new head coach.
If the Steelers had chosen to trade either T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith, the decision to sign Herbig to a massive $100 million extension might have been easier to swallow. But now the balance sheets show $82 million already committed to the three edge players in 2027, while cornerback Joey Porter Jr. watches from the sideline, waiting for his own substantial payday. If the objective wasn’t to deal another edge defender, the front office might have been better served prioritizing Porter Jr.’s contract first, to avoid piling up this edge-rusher-heavy financial structure so early in the rebuild.
This analysis reflects the perspective that circulated recently about the Steelers’ offseason, highlighting concerns about the Rodgers reunion, the McCarthy-led offense, and the strategic handling of the edge-rushing corps and Porter Jr.’s future. The questions persist: will the decisions cast a long-term ripple effect on the team’s competitiveness in the near term and beyond? Only time will tell how these moves shape the Steelers’ trajectory. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire.