When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, it seemed like only a matter of time before Aaron Rodgers either reunited with his former coach or retired. Fortunately for McCarthy, he gets a quarterback reunion with someone who is very familiar with his offense. Rodgers won a Super Bowl and two NFL MVP awards while operating in it, after all. The next question, however, is whether the Steelers have enough to make a legitimate postseason push. They were a playoff team the year before, but fans expect more than just a postseason appearance. One ESPN analyst believes anything short of a Super Bowl would be a failure.
It’s clear Rodgers isn’t the same quarterback he was 10 years ago. He still has plenty left in the tank, and his arm talent remains intact. Gerald McCoy, though, believes anything short of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy would be a failure for McCarthy and Rodgers this season.
“There’s levels to everything, expectations. Aaron Rodgers has crossed over into that level of expectation where anything short of a Super Bowl is not good enough,” Gerald McCoy said. “You don’t bring in a Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers comes back for his final year to not win the Super Bowl. Anything short of that is a failure.”
The Super Bowl is always a Steelers goal, but are they built for it?
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The reality is that no team enters a season with a goal other than winning a championship. Any self-respecting organization wants to win, especially the Steelers. They enter every season with the expectation of competing for a title.
However, certain realities separate legitimate contenders from the rest as the season unfolds. The biggest question surrounding the Steelers is whether they are true Super Bowl contenders. Inside the organization, there’s no doubt they believe they are.
Outside of the building, though, there are legitimate concerns. Will Rodgers be able to hold up over a full season? Will the Steelers get productive play at free safety with their current options? Is the offensive line ready to take the next step?
There are plenty of questions, and the Steelers have a limited amount of time to answer them. Still, there is reason for optimism. However, Rodgers’ final season could ultimately benefit the franchise’s future more than its immediate championship hopes.
Rodgers’ final year could be more about the future
Rodgers returning to the Steelers not only gives McCarthy a quarterback who is well-versed in his offense, but it also allows him to focus on developing the next generation. Specifically, McCarthy can help continue the growth of Will Howard and Drew Allar.
Whether either quarterback becomes the next face of the franchise will ultimately be up to them. McCarthy, though, has an excellent track record when it comes to developing quarterbacks. While this season will be focused on winning as many games as possible, the biggest long-term benefit could come from the development of Pittsburgh’s young quarterbacks.
Rodgers almost certainly wants to win a championship, and McCarthy does as well. However, the Steelers face a difficult path to Super Bowl LXI. Calling anything short of that a failure isn’t necessarily realistic.
If that is the standard, then progress becomes meaningless for every franchise except the one that wins it all. That isn’t to say the Steelers don’t have a chance to make a deep run. A championship requires a lot to go right, and it remains uncertain whether Pittsburgh has everything needed to reach that level.
