Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 Offseason Outlook

To say it’s a new era for the Pittsburgh Steelers would be an understatement. From 1969 through 2025, the Steelers had all of three head coaches — and none of those three had been a head coach in the NFL prior to their hiring in Pittsburgh. Now that Mike Tomlin has stepped down after 19 seasons at the helm, he will very likely follow predecessors Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Everyone figured the Rooney family would stick with the M.O. that produced the last three successful head coaches and look for a young coordinator to take over. Instead, they threw a curveball and hired 62-year-old Mike McCarthy, whose résumé already includes 18 years as a head coach with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.

And now that the new head coach is in place, the biggest offseason question for Pittsburgh is whether or not 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers returns for his second season with the team. Of course, Rodgers and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay, so it’s an intriguing prospect. Still, even if Rodgers does decide to come back, finding a future franchise quarterback for this team is a priority.

2025 recap

While the Steelers won the AFC North last season with a 10-7 record, making the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years, they lost in the first round of the postseason all five of those times. In fact, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 postseason.

The Steelers were middle of the pack last season on both offense and defense. While the Steelers started the season 4-1 and the rival Baltimore Ravens started 1-5, Pittsburgh eked out the division crown only after Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a late field goal in the regular-season finale. After their Week 5 bye, the Steelers were 1-5 against teams that finished the season with a winning record. That included a 30-6 beatdown in a wild-card loss to the Houston Texans.

Rodgers had his moments, though he clearly showed his age. Not as adept as he used to be when it comes to extending plays and making big plays, Rodgers passed for 3,322 yards — the lowest total of his career when startng at least 10 games — with 24 TD passes and seven interceptions.

Key free agents

QB Aaron Rodgers
S Kyle Dugger
G Isaac Seumalo
RB Kenneth Gainwell
S Jabrill Peppers
CB Asante Samuel Jr.
WR Calvin Austin

Steelers salary cap space

$44,943,582

2026 draft needs

No matter who is under center, they need a productive No. 2 receiver to line up opposite DK Metcalf. Of the Steelers’ top five pass-catchers last season, Metcalf was the only one that wasn’t a running back or tight end. Metcalf had 850 receiving yards; the next five wide receivers on the stat sheet combined for 797 yards. There’s a good chance Pittsburgh takes a receiver with the 21st pick in Round 1. The Steelers then have four picks over the next three rounds. They could be looking at cornerback (to replace an aging Jalen Ramsey) or defensive tackle (to replace an aging Cam Heyward). The mystery will be whether or not there’s a quarterback they like enough to grab in the first or second round.

2026 opponents

Home:Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Atlanta, Carolina, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis

Away:Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New England, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Tennessee