Division Opens for Ravens With Aaron Rodgers Departure

That would be good news for the Ravens, who could use as clear of a path back into contention as they can get in embracing their offseason of sweeping changes. They went 8-9 in 2025 against the toughest strength of schedule in the league, and could use all of the breaks they can get. And now that they've begun making their own changes to their operation, the Steelers' future with the future Hall-of-Famer is the next-closest worth monitoring.

Rodgers may not have gone out on top, but he certainly got the better of his newest divisional rivals over two matchups, ultimately handing them their season-ending loss in a dramatic regular season finale that may have featured the last game-winning drive of his career.

As if there weren't enough incentives to pounce, Rodgers' potential retirement offers more reason for hope that the Ravens can return stronger.

Embracing 2026's Outlook

The Steelers grew famous over the second half of Tomlin's tenure for maintaining their streak of winning records, even if nothing seemed to come from the repeated nine or 10-win seasons. Team management is intent on refusing to rebuild despite having to fill coaching and, theoretically, quarterback vacancies, and they'll have to do that against a first-place schedule.

They haven't let a constant quarterback carousel change their generally-consistent levels of moderate success. The Ravens' collapse, more than anything, opened up the path for the Steelers to prevail atop an unimpressive AFC North, and the Ravens have already kickstarted their own weighty offseason by firing John Harbaugh.

They went 8-9, with two of those losses arriving against the Steelers. Despite repeated attempts, they could never seem to get out of their own way, succumbing to the flaws revealed by an unimpressive roster and falling deeper into their nagging habit of blowing leads and close games.

Baltimore's chief decision-makers have come clean in admitting their recent shortcomings, and a potential Pittsburgh downturn opens up the chance for the Ravens to take advantage of the quiet north.

As Pittsburgh remains in quarterback purgatory for the time being, the Ravens have the luxury of rostering one of the top players at the position in the league in Lamar Jackson, who is also in line for an extension this offseason.

Jackson's presence, as well as the talent throughout the rest of its roster, has left Baltimore in a good spot while conducting head coaching interviews and searching for Harbaugh's successor.

The Steelers' roster still features a considerable amount of talent, but with Rodgers likely out of the picture alongside Tomlin, the Ravens have to like their chances moving forward.

Three teams within the AFC North, including themselves, are suddenly looking for head coaches, meaning if the Ravens find someone to partner with Jackson and friends, they could hit the ground running in taking advantage of the open AFC.