The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, but recently, they haven’t looked one that was routinely among the NFL’s best. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and appearing [on The Kaboly + Mack Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDwO3XQFIno&t=1s), former Steelers S Mike Logan said the playoff win drought is “weighing” on former players.
“You can’t go anywhere and not talk about it, and I damn sure can’t go anywhere in the city of Pittsburgh and somebody asking me ‘What the hell is going on, man?'”
“I think everybody in Pittsburgh is at their wits end about it. And we need to turn the tide. But we can’t do it without a damn established franchise quarterback.”
Logan won a Super Bowl with Pittsburgh, and seeing the team struggle to win a single playoff game has to be frustrating. He also has the perspective of someone who grew up in Pittsburgh and has followed the franchise his whole life, so the struggles have to be especially frustrating.
It’s not as if the Steelers haven’t been good enough to win. They’ve suffered disappointing playoff losses at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and the Cleveland Browns in 2020, two games the Steelers were expected to win but got down early and couldn’t come back. It’s been the biggest criticism of Mike Tomlin, and the lack of playoff success has grown old for fans and former players alike.
Pittsburgh’s biggest issue has been struggles at the quarterback position. Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t the same player after his 2019 elbow injury, and the position has been a mess since his retirement. While the Steelers snuck into the playoffs each of the last two years, they were outclassed by the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and the Baltimore Ravens last season, and Logan believes that the Steelers won’t get back to being a winning franchise until they find a franchise quarterback.
Last season, the Steelers went with a stopgap approach by signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields, and both of them left in free agency. Pittsburgh is [hoping to sign free agent QB Aaron Rodgers](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/05/a-little-while-longer-rooney-doubles-down-on-rodgers-timeline/), who would elevate the team’s ceiling in 2025 but at 41 years old, the four-time NFL MVP likely doesn’t have a lot of football left in him if he does sign. The Steelers have amassed draft capital for the 2026 NFL Draft, and the hope is that will be the year they can find a franchise signal-caller.
Maybe Rodgers can help break what’s been an embarrassing drought, but it might be awhile before the Steelers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders once again.
Watch the full episode with Logan below.