Steelers Fans Better Brace For Legitimate Rebuild As Glimpse At Organization's Future Comes Into View

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in a weird spot as a franchise for the last several seasons. The team has remained competitive during the regular season despite constant turnover at the quarterback position, but when the playoffs roll around, the team seems to implode. The franchise has not won a game during the postseason in nearly a decade, and that fact has the fan base on edge, as the organization has not fulfilled its expectations in quite some time. Hopefully the Steelers find a way to go on a run during the postseason at the end of the 2025 campaign, but if not, a true rebuild could be coming.

The Steelers have been in quarterback purgatory ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. The organization signed Aaron Rodgers to be the starting quarterback during the 2025 offseason, and after he is done, it seems like Pittsburgh could be getting ready for a rebuild. Insider Albert Breer did a mailbag for SI on Wednesday, and he answered a question that asked about the future of Head Coach Mike Tomlin and if the Steelers are prepared to rebuild.

"I think the Steelers have been set up for that the whole time—in fact, part of the equation in signing Aaron Rodgers was that they only had so many swings left with guys such as TJ Watt and Cam Heyward, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them," Breer wrote.

Breer speculates that the organization has been set up to rebuild, even preparing for it. However those making the major decisions have been in win-now mode over the last couple of seasons, and that has continued into 2025 as Pittsburgh would like to make another push with its aging stars. Breer dodged the part of the question asking whether or not Tomlin would be involved in a rebuild.

The aging stars on defense include Cam Heyward, TJ Watt, and Jalen Ramsey. It is hard to plan for the future with that trio being so impactful on one side of the ball, which is why Pittsburgh went out and got Rodgers. The franchise thought the four-time MVP gave the team its best chance of winning from the quarterback position. This was seen by the way Pittsburgh let Justin Fields walk in free agency, which Breer discussed.

"They actually did look really hard at bringing back Justin Fields, but what stopped them, as best I could ascertain it, was that they needed to find a way to move the needle at that spot to become more than the fringe playoff team they’ve been the past few years," Breer wrote. "Basically, it was a you-know-what-or-get-off-the-pot time. So this is their swing at it, and post–Aaron Rodgers, there’s probably a pretty serious retooling coming."

It was reported that the Steelers were interested in bringing back Fields as the team's quarterback for 2025, but he ultimately signed with the New York Jets in free agency. Pittsburgh felt more comfortable moving forward with Rodgers as he gives them a better chance to win, and they are tied to him for less money, and time, due to his age.

Steelers Rebuilding Would Be Interesting

A rebuild in Pittsburgh would be quite fascinating. Presumably, it would provide the organization with its first losing season since 2003, but it would also be interesting to see who would be around for a rebuild. Watt probably does not want to go through that at this stage of his career, and the same is true for Heyward and Ramsey. The Steelers could begin to sell all of its older talent after the 2025 season, which might set the franchise up for a bright future.

What do you think about the impending rebuild in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!

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