Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a weird place entering 2026. They saw mixed results in Rodgers’ first season in black and gold, squeaking into the playoffs only to be embarrassed in the Wild Card round by the Houston Texans. They decided to double down in 2026, bringing back Rodgers and pairing him with his old head coach, Mike McCarthy, for his final season, but one ESPN analyst isn’t sold on the Steelers’ outlook.
What Did the ESPN Analyst Say About Rodgers and the Steelers?
Speaking on “First Take,” analyst Kevin Clark said, “I am concerned about the Pittsburgh Steelers. First of all, you look at some of these numbers last year for Aaron Rodgers, who is one of the most talented guys who’s ever played the position and still has a lot of good qualities, but he threw the ball quicker and shorter than basically anybody on record in the history of football last year.”
“I don’t think that was an Arthur Smith, the departed offensive coordinator’s stat,” he continued. “I don’t think that was a receiver stat, even though he has better receivers this year. I think it was an age stat. I think it was him being unable to move in the pocket like he could…”
Clark has plenty of reason to be concerned about the Steelers and an age-42 Aaron Rodgers. Last season, Rodgers finished with 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions, earning him a 71.9 QB Impact Score according to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, which ranked him 29th among quarterbacks.
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His inability to throw down the field, stemming from a lack of athleticism that would buy him time to do so, is the Achilles heel of the Steelers’ offense, no pun intended.
With this, defenses will be able to focus on Pittsburgh’s short-passing game by adding more defenders near the line of scrimmage, simultaneously making it difficult for running backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle to get going.
Clark went on to say, “You add in the fact that Mike Tomlin is leaving, and Mike McCarthy is not anywhere close to Mike Tomlin as a coach in my book… if we’re talking about teams that maybe aren’t going to repeat the success that they had last year, they’re at the top of my list.”
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The difference between Tomlin and McCarthy is real. Tomlin was able to stay at or above .500 every season in Pittsburgh despite worsening talent every year, while McCarthy underachieved during his 2020-24 Dallas Cowboys stint despite having more talent.
With the Steelers facing a first-place schedule in 2026, Pittsburgh fans could be in for a rough season in what will be the last go-around for Rodgers.
