Many are understandably unenthused about Aaron Rodgers potentially returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s hard to be excited about a quarterback who will turn 43 late next year, one whose limitations were on full display towards the end of last season.
However, Rodgers was able to play at a high level in the right situations last year. Colin Cowherd took notice back then, mentioning that Rodgers was playing like a top-10 quarterback. Despite being one year older, Cowherd has the same thought ahead of Rodgers’ potential return for 2026.
“If you had a quarterback draft, for next year only, Aaron Rodgers would make my top-10. And you think that’s crazy,” Cowherd said Thursday on FS1’s The Herd. “To me, I thought Aaron had a great year. It was a completely broken ecosystem offensively. They didn’t turn it over, they didn’t have penalties, they were good in the red zone, they were good after the catch. That’s Aaron. What else changed? It was Aaron. I think again, if you’re talking one year, I think he’s a top-10 quarterback.”
It’s easy to paint his year in a negative light, given how things ended. The Steelers had a chance to clinch the division in Week 17, and couldn’t find the end zone once in a loss to Cleveland. The following week, it took a late fourth-quarter resurgence and a missed Baltimore field goal to propel the Steelers into the playoffs. Then, in the Wild Card round, Houston bullied Rodgers and the offense for all four quarters.
But considering everything, Aaron Rodgers had a solid first year with the Steelers. He’s old and can’t move as well, but that didn’t entirely limit the offense. He sat in the pocket and extended plays at times. He did well to get rid of the ball despite having few receivers who could get open quickly. And he also helped the team’s MVP, Kenneth Gainwell, to a career year.
The playoff loss makes for another depressing start to the offseason. But this team won 10 games and the division last year. With Rodgers back in the fold, Cowherd thinks it is capable of winning the division again.
“I honestly think, with Baltimore right now, and Cincinnati’s ridiculousness, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have Aaron and Pittsburgh winning the division with McCarthy,” Cowherd said.
It’s an interesting change from Cowherd. He wasn’t originally happy with the Steelers’ coaching search, which resulted in McCarthy. And he’s also mentioned Malik Willis as a better choice than Rodgers for next year. From a futuristic standpoint, that makes sense.
But strictly in 2026, the team can contend with Rodgers. The AFC North is in a period of transition. The Ravens are going to look different next year, but still have plenty of talent on their roster. Cleveland still has some growing to do, and the Bengals have a lot of holes. Pittsburgh absolutely needs to add more talent, but a second-straight AFC North title isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
If Aaron Rodgers returns, the Steelers have to give him some more pieces to work with. There are too many limitations in his game to have any hope otherwise. But if Cowherd’s expectations for the Steelers are accurate, 2026 might be a more enjoyable season than some fans are expecting.
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