Former Steelers Head Coach Believes Pittsburgh Will Make a Big Jump in 2026
Recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers reached an agreement to bring him back to Pittsburgh for one final season. Shortly after starting OTAs for the Steelers, Rodgers also announced that this would be his last year in the NFL, making all of the work done prior to his signing even more important. After being eliminated from the playoffs in January, the Steelers wasted no time in reshaping their entire organization. Head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down, with Mike McCarthy taking his place, bringing in Patrick Graham as the new defensive coordinator and Brian Angelichio as the offensive coordinator. With trades and free-agent signings such as Michael Pittman Jr., Rico Dowdle, Jamel Dean, and Jaquan Brisker, the Steelers roster heading into 2026 looks much better and more rounded than it did in 2025, Rodgers' first year with Pittsburgh. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher believes that this improved roster is exactly what Rodgers and the Steelers need to make the jump and be a legit Super Bowl contender next season.
The news of the Steelers re-signing the 42-year-old quarterback has drawn both positive and negative reactions. Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III is on the Rodgers train, calling the Steelers “Legit Super Bowl contenders,” while ESPN analyst Ben Solak saw many free agent quarterback options that would have been better for the Steel City. The former Super Bowl-winning coach is of the opinion that the change in personnel is exactly what Rodgers needs in 2026. He says, “Terrible receiving corps, broken offensive culture. He inherited a mess, a dysfunctional offensive culture. He’s going to be good this year. They got Michael Pittman Jr., and he’s going to be good. They’re going to vie for the division this year.” One early report was that the Steelers needed to upgrade their wide receiver room if they wanted any chance of enticing Rodgers to come back. They did exactly that with Pittman and the selection of Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, putting all of the Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s worries to rest.
Cowher obviously is biased towards the Steelers, having coached them for 15 seasons and taking them to two Super Bowls. This bias becomes belief and faith in his former team, extending to his expectations for the black and gold in 2026. After the NFL's schedule release, Cowher made a comment stating that the Steelers would enter their bye week with a record of 7-1, and in the most recent show on the morning of May 20th, he again stated that Pittsburgh “Totally could go 6-1 or 7-0 to start the season.” Even with all of the Steelers’ offensive struggles last season, they still won the AFC North with a 10-7 record, so there is a high expectation that Pittsburgh will be able to run it back with Rodgers and claim another division title. While Rodgers' individual season has no guarantee to be better than his 2025 campaign, the weapons are there for him to succeed, and the organization has his back.
