Steelers Could See Wins Increase By 2 Games With Return Of Pending Free Agent

The Pittsburgh Steelers have truly entered the offseason now, as the team looks forward to 2026 to improve enough to potentially remain competitive, even with all of the changes taking place on the team. Now that the Steelers have hired new head coach Mike McCarthy, and most of his staff, the attention turns toward the players on the roster. With all the questions surrounding the players, especially the pending free agents, many wonder just how the Steelers are going to approach roster construction in an offseason where so much has already changed. Throughout all the discussions, one of the major questions being asked might finally have a clearer answer.

That big question is how the Steelers are approaching their quarterback situation. Many believe that the hiring of McCarthy was the franchise's attempt to sway quarterback Aaron Rodgers to returning for another season, and the team has stated that they did not hire McCarthy for this purpose. However, there are many that believe that a reunion between Rodgers and McCarthy would be the best step the organization can take if they want to remain competitive.

In particular, Colin Cowherd made his feelings on the situation clear on a recent episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd. Cowherd strongly advocates for Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh, noting that the team will be much better should he choose to return for one more season.

"I thought Aaron [Rodgers] made the offense smarter and eliminated turnovers," Cowherd said. "I thought Aaron had, all things considered, a very strong year. Aaron's better than Will Howard. My take is, if Aaron comes back, with Mike McCarthy, Aaron's gonna have a very solid year. I think it's two wins [added]. I don't know what the over/under is, I think it'll be nine. I'd take the over."

Cowherd's comments on Rodgers making the offense smarter has some definite weight to it, as the Steelers finished the 2025 regular season tied for the fourth fewest giveaways in the entire league. Rodgers did, in fact, keep the turnovers to a minimum on a personal level, only throwing seven interceptions over the course of the entire year. This was all in a system that wasn't catered to building around the offense, as well. Under McCarthy and his expertise working with offenses, the Steelers should be poised to take the next step and become much better on offense, meaning Rodgers could have a better season than everyone expects.

The idea of Rodgers coming back might be something that does not really excite some Steelers fans, but there are players around the league that would love to have Rodgers return to the team. Some of these players have even expressed that they'd come out of retirement for the opportunity to be on the same roster as Rodgers, which shows just how much players want to play for him. This kind of motivating factor for players could also help the Steelers attract potential free agents, making the team better overall. If one of those free agents attracted is on the offensive side of the ball, then the potential for the Steelers to improve even further than two wins exists, which would fulfill McCarthy's primary idea with the team.

Even if Cowherd's comments end up being true, and the Steelers do improve their win total by two, it will be for nothing if they can't win a playoff game. 

Steelers Must Construct Team Capable Of Winning In The Playoffs

No matter how many wins the Steelers might end up gaining with a reunion between Rodgers and McCarthy, none of it will matter if the Steelers can't win a single playoff game. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and the franchise is certainly hoping to fix this by hiring a coach that puts an emphasis on winning. If it means Rodgers comes back, then the team needs to make the move immediately.

What did you think about Cowherd's comments that the Steelers would win two more games with Rodgers under center? Let us know in the comments below.

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