The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a difficult situation having not won a playoff game since the 2016-17 season. That year, the Steelers took down the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs in the first two rounds, who were both led by Matt Moore and Alex Smith, respectively. Since seeing Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have lost six straight games in the postseason. Pittsburgh's biggest goal in 2024 was to snap their disastrous losing streak, but being unable to do so, 2025 calls for the same hope.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers face off against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV.
Tomlin, who was hired after the conclusion of the 2006 season, won his first Super Bowl in his second season as Pittsburgh's head coach. Through his first seven postseason matches, Tomlin won five of them, including the Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals. One of those two losses, however, also includes a Super Bowl loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, which the Steelers then never caught fire in the playoffs again. Since the loss to Green Bay, Tomlin and the Steelers have had serious struggles in the playoffs.
For that reason, Tomlin and the Steelers have been willing to wait for as long as they have for Rodgers to sign with them for the 2025 season. Pittsburgh is desperate to win a playoff game, but how committed Rodgers is to playing football is very much in question.
NFL analyst Ross Tucker spoke with Steelers insider Mark Kaboly on Wednesday and shared his thoughts on where Rodgers is at this stage of his career.
"I understand anybody making the argument - he's the best option they have to win games this year. And if you just want to go that way with it, you can," Tucker started as he began to question Rodgers. "What I have a major problem with is I don't think he really, really wants to play. Even if he wants to play, winning is not a priority for him, or in my mind I would say, not enough of a priority. It's a new system, new teammates. He clearly wants to miss as much of the offseason program as he wants."
Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show in April to address his situation both personally and professionally. Many were hoping Rodgers would be more direct about his future plans, but his words on the show didn't seem too promising and he admitted he needed to sort out some personal things in his life before making a decision about football.
"I've got no problem with that," Tucker continued. "He's made a crazy amount of money, do what you want, Aaron, maybe I would do the same. But just don't tell me you're really trying to win this year. Don't tell me that it's really important to you to try to win playoff games for the Pittsburgh Steelers, because if it was, you'd be there with your new teammates and learning Arthur Smith's offense."
Tomlin and the rest of Pittsburgh's front office will face serious heat and criticism from the fan base if they go without a playoff win for the ninth straight season. Unfortunately, their hopes of succeeding that quest likely falls into Rodgers' decision.
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Steelers' Cam Heyward tries to get to Aaron Rodgers during a Week 7 matchup with the New York Jets in 2024.
Tucker firmly believes that Rodgers isn't serious about helping the Steelers reach their goals in 2025. Rodgers only spent two years with the New York Jets after leaving Green Bay. Last season, coming back from injury, Rodgers faced criticism for his performance early in the season. Some analysts believe Rodgers improved as the season progressed.
"He wants to be able to have a good season and not go out like he did last year with the Jets and still be relevant and be the quarterback of the Steelers, but doesn't really want to put the work in, and I have a problem with that. If he really cared that much, he would've signed already, he'd be there right now," Tucker explained.
If Rodgers winds up never coming to the Steel City, it'll be a quarterback duo of Mason Rudolph and Will Howard for the Black and Gold in 2025.
Steelers Already Having A Dramatic 2025 Season Due To Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers, in recent years especially, have seemingly been able to make each season as dramatic as possible. They've either started off slow with many losses or haven't been able to finish seasons strong which affected their playoff aspirations, along with constant changes at the quarterback position and offensive coaching staff.
With many pieces being sent away like George Pickens, Najee Harris, and Russell Wilson, many were hoping that the 2025 season would be less dramatic and more football-oriented. Rodgers' situation has derailed a lot of that and is already having many in the fan base under a considerable amount of stress in just the month of May.
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Aaron Rodgers stands with Mike Tomlin before a game while he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
What are your thoughts on Tucker's comments regarding Rodgers? Will he be able to lead the Steelers to a playoff win when it's all said and done? Let us know in the comments below.
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