Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd recently revealed his top quarterback/head coach combinations in the NFL, and not among them was Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and signal-caller Aaron Rodgers.
His reasoning may surprise you.
Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin: Not a Top QB/HC Combo?
On his show “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Cowherd ranked his top quarterback and head coach combinations.
The top of the list included some fairly inarguable ones, including the following in “Group 1”:
- Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid
- Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh
- Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen and Sean McDermott
- Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay
- Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor
These combinations deserve to be ranked among the best because of a lengthy track record of Super Bowl wins, postseason runs, and regular season successes.
However, as he got toward the middle of the group, he didn’t include Rodgers and Tomlin.
“You know who’s not? Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin,” Cowherd said. “‘Cus Aaron’s not close to his prime, and Mike doesn’t make quarterbacks better.”
“As great as Andy Reid is, he only started hoisting trophies when he got Patrick Mahomes.”@colincowherd shares his top QB/HC combos in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/sAjHfNObnP
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 13, 2025
Rodgers, of course, isn’t in his prime. He’s 41 years old and is entering a second season removed from an Achilles injury that sidelined him all but four snaps of the 2023 season.
As for Tomlin, “not making quarterbacks better,” he has worked with notable players like Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields over the years.
It could be argued that Tomlin played a significant role in helping Roethlisberger develop into a quarterback who won the franchise two Super Bowls, was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year, went to six Pro Bowls, and achieved other notable accomplishments.
Also, it’s unclear how that’s even relevant in this context. Rodgers isn’t a rookie. He’s a veteran quarterback who’s widely viewed as one of the better ones in NFL history.
What could Tomlin possibly do to “make him better”?
Over his career, Rodgers has won a Super Bowl, ironically against the Steelers. He’s thrown for nearly 63,000 yards and 503 touchdowns. At this point, Rodgers is who he is and isn’t going to deviate from that. There’s not much Tomlin can do or teach Rodgers that would make him significantly better.
What the Steelers are getting is a quarterback who looked sharp toward the latter portion of the 2024-25 season. From Week 13 on, he threw just three interceptions and had nine touchdown passes. Tomlin, a head coach with a specialty in defense, needs to have the defense play well and hope Rodgers can lead the offense to be above-average.
“I think it starts with Mike Tomlin.”
Aaron Rodgers on the appeal of playing for Mike Tomlin and the @steelers. pic.twitter.com/XUmSK6I0JW
— NFL (@NFL) June 10, 2025
If Cowherd wanted to argue that we have yet to see what a Tomlin and Rodgers duo can achieve, then his ranking of them makes some sense. But to say Tomlin doesn’t make quarterbacks better when that’s not relevant isn’t the soundest argument.
While this is the first season Tomlin and Rodgers will be working together, former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden has provided Rodgers with some advice on how to build a “genuine relationship” with the long-time head coach, as PFSN’s Ishika Dadhwal pointed out.
Expect the Steelers to continue having success and perhaps more with Rodgers on the squad for 2025.