Steelers Feeling Extremely Confident About 2025 Roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some interesting moves in the 2025 offseason. The roster has been shaken up in a big way following the 2024 season, and the team didn’t hold back when it came to making bold changes. The biggest move came at quarterback, where 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers finally made the decision to join the Steelers after a long offseason of speculation. It was a dramatic process, but the team believes Rodgers still has enough left to help lead a deep postseason run.

The running back room has also seen changes, with Jaylen Warren now getting a greater opportunity to take on a lead role. He is joined by Kaleb Johnson and Kenneth Gainwell, giving the Steelers more depth and flexibility in the backfield. At wide receiver, the loss of George Pickens was significant, but the front office responded by bringing in DK Metcalf prior to that move, a proven veteran with elite physical tools and big-play ability.

All of these moves have led Head Coach Mike Tomlin to believe this is one of the strongest rosters he has coached in years. According to ESPN insider Peter Schrager, there is real confidence inside the building, with Tomlin and the Steelers feeling they are in a great position heading into the 2025 season. With a mix of experience, talent, and leadership, Pittsburgh is preparing to compete at the highest level.

"To me, this is the best situation that Pittsburgh's been in in years. These guys are gonna galvanize and they will rally around Aaron Rodgers," Schrager said. "The Steelers didn't go and pay DK Metcalf $30 million to not have Super Bowl expectations. They didn't go and sign Aaron Rodgers at 41 years old and wait, sit on their hands all summer to do this to not have Super Bowl expectations."

The Steelers' 2025 season has sparked mixed opinions about what this team can truly accomplish. With Rodgers now 41 years old and coming off a disappointing season in which he led the New York Jets to just five wins, many are questioning whether he’s still a real upgrade. Concerns about his age, mobility, and ability to consistently elevate the offense have led to some skepticism around the league.

Despite the outside noise, the Steelers clearly believe Rodgers is a major improvement and are excited to have him in the building. His leadership, experience, and football IQ are qualities the team feels were missing last year. 

"This is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they think that these moves make them better than last year," Schrager said. "Of course, the Steelers didn't come anywhere close to a Super Bowl last year, marking another first-round exit. That has been their ceiling for a while now, their last playoff win coming back in 2016. I will say this: they believe internally they're in a lot better place right now than they were a year ago."

According to Schrager, the most telling detail is that Pittsburgh feels significantly more confident in its roster now than it did heading into the 2024 season, which speaks volumes about the team's internal belief and expectations.

Steelers Confident Heading Into 2025

The Steelers entered the 2024 season without many expectations. Then, after a hot start, they began to generate some buzz as potential contenders. However, a brutal losing streak to close out the year caused concern throughout the fan base, especially as the league’s highest-paid defense fell apart in key moments.