Aaron Rodgers’ arrival in Pittsburgh has dramatically changed how the Steelers are viewed heading into the 2025 NFL season.
In recent years, the franchise has been caught in a cycle, good enough to avoid landing high draft picks but not strong enough to compete with the AFC’s top-tier teams.
With that in mind, fans and media believed bringing in a clear upgrade at quarterback would raise the team’s overall competitiveness. However, a former Steelers player recently warned that the partnership between head coach Mike Tomlin and Rodgers could backfire if the team fails to meet expectations early in the season.
How Could Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin’s Steelers Partnership Go Wrong?
Few teams are under more pressure to produce this season than the Steelers. In recent years, their steady winning records have brought more frustration than celebration, as they’ve failed to translate into actual championship runs.
That’s why pairing Rodgers with Tomlin makes sense at first glance.
Tomlin remains one of the NFL’s most consistent and respected head coaches, while Rodgers, a legendary quarterback entering what is likely his final season, is determined to make one last run. However, according to Steelers legend James Harrison, the partnership could unravel if the team doesn’t live up to the high expectations now surrounding them.
Harrison said, “I think they can make it work if they win. If they start losing and it looks like they won’t finish above .500, I think it gets real ugly, real fast. To the point where it’s like, ‘You know what? Let’s let this dude go midseason for Aaron. Let’s just get him out of here and put one of these other quarterbacks in.’ You know? Mike T ain’t going nowhere.”
Since his final season in Green Bay, Rodgers hasn’t looked like the quarterback who once won back-to-back MVPs and secured his place among the all-time greats. Even with solid stats in 2024, the New York Jets never emerged as genuine contenders, and the offense lacked energy and consistency.
At some point, Pittsburgh will need to hit the reset button to break the cycle of consistently outperforming weaker teams but falling short against the league’s elite.
As the Steelers keep piling up winning seasons without becoming true contenders, their AFC North rivals are closing in on a Super Bowl. For Harrison, however, that wouldn’t put Coach Tomlin on the hot seat. If anyone’s job is in question, it would be Rodgers’.
“[The] only person that gets Mike Tomlin fired is Mike Tomlin. If he goes and, you know, puts up a couple losing seasons, then I don’t see him getting fired, you know, he has a number of years left on his contract, I could see the possibility of them not renewing him, but not firing,” Harrison added.
The Steelers will kick off the 2025 season against the Jets in New York, and a loss could quickly cast a shadow over the franchise. The narrative would be that Rodgers was the issue with his former team. More than ever, getting off to a strong start feels crucial for Pittsburgh.
