The Pittsburgh Steelers have been struggling to keep up as a “model organization” in recent years. Fans and players are furious with ownership for allegedly being cheap, and Head Coach Mike Tomlin is starting to get more and more exposed for his unusually low ceiling.

Media personality and host, Colin Cowherd, mentioned on his show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, that the Steelers are no longer that great team that they once were. Instead, they are a spot that people would want to stay away from.

“The Steelers are fool’s gold, Tomlin can’t figure out the offense, it’s been [eight] years, forget about it,” explained Cowherd.

It’s been eight full years since the Steelers won a playoff game, and only seven teams have a longer playoff win drought than Pittsburgh. They have made the playoffs more times than not since that 2016 postseason run, but they have gotten embarrassed in every single one of those contests. Who would want to play for a team that gets annihilated when it matters most?

Aaron Rodgers has been linked to the Steelers since the team missed out on the top quarterback options early in free agency, and they even had a long meeting recently. While they may be a better option than a team like the New York Giants, are they really a team that he wants to end his career with?

Steelers’ Issues Could Cost Them Rodgers

Cowherd continued on with his Steelers rant, talking about how Rodgers is probably looking past that facade.

“I think [Aaron Rodgers] looks at Pittsburgh, and so much of it sounds good: ‘Steelers! Defense! Mike Tomlin!'” Cowherd said. “Bad o-line, lost their left tackle, two high-maintenance wide receivers, spend more money on defense than anybody in the league. Is that really a great fit? Does Aaron really feel like a Pittsburgh guy?”

Even with the youth along the offensive line, there are questions about how they will mesh and develop, especially with another year of Pat Meyer coordinating that unit. Despite the DK Metcalf trade, the Steelers are built for running the football. Either Rodgers would likely ruin the team chemistry by demanding things get done his way, or he’d be handing the ball off 20+ times per game while not throwing the ball much until the fourth quarter, like how it usually goes with the Steelers.

Teams can’t expect to be good just because they have a legendary past. The Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins and they had one of the greatest defenses ever, but this a league that asks the question “what have you done for me lately?” Pittsburgh is usually a fun regular season story that implodes in the Wild Card Round as of late, and that’s not good enough.

Unfortunately, many fans in the Steel City tend to agree with Cowherd at this point. Until the Steelers find their next franchise quarterback, the future doesn’t feel promising. On a brighter note however, some fans feel that Rodgers may be the missing piece. At 41 years old, his best football may be behind him, but his level of play could potentially be the best Pittsburgh has seen since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2021 season. Time will tell what Rodgers ends up deciding for his future, but until then (whether Rodgers signs or not), the Steelers will need to prove Cowherd wrong in 2025.