The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 5-4, coming off one of their worst performances of the season. The head coach, and the quarterback are taking serious heat for the first time this season. The prospect of missing the playoffs in 2025 has suddenly become a distinct possibility. With all that in mind, one can’t help but wonder what the Steelers look like next season. Let’s break all the big ones down one by one:
The Quarterback:
Aaron Rodgers has begun to show his age as of late. His performance Sunday night made him look every bit of his 41 years of age. Rodgers seems absolutely uninterested in taking contact. That in turn is preventing longer developing plays to be utilized, severely limiting this offense. Most of the time it seems like the main goal of the offense is to not get their quarterback hurt. The Steelers are realizing in real time the Aaron Rodgers experiment was a mistake. The chances of him being back in 2026 are very slim at best.
The OC:
I was on record Arthur Smith made a huge mistake not taking the North Carolina job when it was offered to him. His chances of being an NFL head coach again weren’t very good before he took the Steelers OC job. Two straight years of below average offenses in Pittsburgh are doing nothing to boost his stock. Arthur Smith should, and probably will jump at the next college job that comes his way.
The Captain:
Cam Heyward and the Steelers had a contentious off season in 2025. Heyward wanted to renegotiate his deal after just one year had passed on his current deal. The Steelers dug in, and only gave him minimal changes to his deal. We are in the midst of another age defying Pro Bowl caliber year from Cam Heyward. He will once again be banging the door for a new contract, and at his age the Steelers will once again be reluctant to do it. The Steelers should do Cam a solid and trade him to a contender willing to pony up more money. This could very well be Cam Heyward’s last season in Pittsburgh.
The soon to be malcontent:
Now to be fair, DK Metcalf has been 100 percent the good soldier so far this season. It’s only a matter of time however before the lack of targets set him off. Every wide receiver has a bit of diva in them, and none of them like not getting the ball. Add to this the looming possibility of a rookie quarterback taking the reins in 2026, and it’s not a hard conclusion to come to that DK Metcalf will be asking out after this season. Call it a hunch, but a trade demand is coming from DK Metcalf during the off-season.
The Coach:
I’ve often maintained the only way Mike Tomlin is not the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers is if it is of his own doing. Lately things have been going on that have begun to change my mind. Tomlin is taking heat like never before. Even his most staunchest allies in the media like Rich Eisen have begun doing segments on his demise.
Now none of that generally means anything to Art Rooney and the Steelers organization. They are historically patient with their coaching staff in general, and the head coach in particular. Having said that, we saw what happens to even Art Rooney when the heat from the outside gets too big for even him to ignore. The Matt Canada firing was a chink in the armor. They succumbed to outside pressure for the first time maybe ever.
Will it ever get that intense against MIke Tomlin? Time will tell. The team has a winning record, and is in first place in the AFC North. And even now Tomlin is facing intense scrutiny. If this team were to miss the playoffs, and god forbid have a losing record, Art Rooney will face pressure like never before. It’s not overwhelmingly likely, but for the first time ever Mike Tomlin is legitimately on the hit seat.
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