The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be an interesting team to follow throughout the 2026 season as the significant changes made during the offseason take their shape. New head coach Mike McCarthy is making his return as a head coach after a one-year hiatus, and the rest of the staff is almost entirely new. There is probably going to be some sort of an adjustment period for the players on the field as the new coaching staff gets all of its system in place as the regular season gets underway, but many fans have optimism that this team could do something special moving forward.
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) celebrate after defeating the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.
One person who is going to be a fan of the Steelers in the 2026 season is former head coach Mike Tomlin. He is going to be getting settled into his new role as an analyst for NBC on Football Night In America, but he has already come out and said that he is going to be rooting for his former team due to the number of great relationships he has within the organization. He is going to have to keep an unbiased perspective while he is on the air discussing the games every week, but fans in Pittsburgh should know that the coach will be rooting for the Steelers.
Tomlin appeared on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday, and he was asked about his thoughts on the Steelers' team for the 2026 season. He was specifically asked if the team was capable of winning the Super Bowl, and the coach said yes.
"I certainly do," Tomlin said. "I think that’s the only reason Aaron comes back. He believes it, I believe it. I don’t think he comes back if he doesn’t believe that. I think they got the bones of having a good unit at all three phases. Certainly, they’re probably not being talked about in the ways that some others are being talked about, but that can be a good motivator and a catalyst for them as well. I think they got high expectations, and I think they should have high expectations."
Tomlin cites Aaron Rodgers' return to Pittsburgh as a big reason that he believes the franchise can capture its seventh Lombardi Trophy. Rodgers would not have come back if he did not think that the team was capable of doing something special, which is a good sign for fans. Rodgers has seen a ton of football, meaning he has seen a ton of good teams. He should have a pretty good gauge of what the team will be able to do.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers veteran QB Aaron Rodgers (right) embraces former head coach Mike Tomlin (left) after a big win on the road against the Detroit Lions in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL Season.
Tomlin was also a realist with his response. He understands that the Steelers are probably not viewed by the masses as a potential Super Bowl champion, but neither were the Seattle Seahawks entering the 2025 season. They weren't even considered to be a playoff team, and neither were the eventual AFC Champion New England Patriots. A lot can change over the course of an entire regular season, and that could be a good thing for the Steelers.
Steelers Need To Get Off To A Hot Start In 2026
If the Steelers want to have any chance of accomplishing what Tomlin suggested, the team has to start the regular season off on the right foot. Winning winnable games is going to be key as the franchise navigates a first-place schedule after winning the AFC North in 2025. The schedule gets extremely difficult in the second half of the season, and it would be easy for this season to get away from Pittsburgh if things do not start off on the right track.
What do you think about Tomlin's expectations for the Steelers? Do you think this team has any chance of winning a Super Bowl in 2026? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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