For the almost a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been unable to win a playoff game. They’re one of the NFL’s most accomplished franchises, so this lack of success is frustrating fans. It feels like the Steelers have been stuck in mediocrity. Some fans believe Pittsburgh should bite the bullet and commit to a rebuild. While that doesn’t seem like their style, insider Albert Breer believes the Steelers could make some big changes next offseason if this year does not go well for them.
“They’re really at this critical point with their roster where T.J. Watt’s turning 31, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s turning 29, Cam Heyward’s obviously at the end,” Breer said recently on the show Morning Juice on radio station 97.1. “DK Metcalf, he’s not older, but he is on a third contract, and he’s been a little beat up.
“That’s the ultimate time-is-now team. If they sign [Aaron] Rodgers and it doesn’t work out, I think a year from now we’re talking about a teardown. If we’re talking about a teardown, then the question becomes, maybe not Mike [Tomlin] getting fired, but is it time to look at everybody turning the page together?”
Since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season, the Steelers have been in an interesting position. Unlike most teams that lose their franchise quarterbacks, Pittsburgh didn’t hit rock bottom. Instead, they continued to fight for a playoff spot.
While the Steelers’ defense has been championship-caliber, their offense has been terrible. Unfortunately, consistently making the playoffs has resulted in them being unable to be in position to find their next franchise quarterback. That’s held them back, leading some fans to call for the Steelers to tank to change that.
With Tomlin as their head coach, it’s extremely unlikely that will happen. His goal every season is to win the Super Bowl. Being bad on purpose isn’t Tomlin’s style. That’s part of the reason why the Steelers are pursuing Rodgers.
However, Breer seems to believe Pittsburgh could make major changes next offseason if it has an underwhelming 2025 season. Even if the Steelers finally finish with a losing record under Tomlin, it’s tough to envision them tearing their roster down. At the moment, they’re in a good position to move up in next year’s draft. That could finally fix their quarterback problem.
If they trade up in the draft for a quarterback, what’s the point in selling off their best pieces? They’ll have a signal caller on a rookie contract, meaning they can spend money elsewhere. The Steelers would be solving one problem but creating another.
Also, what would a teardown look like? Tomlin doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Watt is due for a contract extension, and it feels like the Steelers are going to give him a huge deal. If that happens, they aren’t going to turn around and trade him next offseason.
What other pieces do the Steelers have that they could get significant value for? Perhaps Fitzpatrick, but he plays a critical role for the Steelers. Heyward feels like he’ll be a Steeler for his entire career.
Maybe if the Steelers are one of the worst teams in the league in 2025, they’ll consider blowing their team up. However, even if they don’t get Rodgers, that doesn’t seem likely. They’ve remained competitive with poor quarterback play before. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard to see a future where the Steelers decide to start over next year.
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