The Steelers are 2-1, which is all Mike Tomlin cares about. As long as his team is winning football games, he doesn't care about the final score or how the result was accomplished. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the last four seasons since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Pittsburgh's had some absolutely putrid quarterback play and offensive execution. Not all of that is on Tomlin, but when the man in charge doesn't demand perfection from one side of the ball, the end product is bound to slump.
To his credit, Tomlin has been open to change. He hired a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith prior to the 2024 season. Smith's system fits Tomlin's offensive identity. He relies on the running game and heavy sets, ideally with two tight ends who are also receiving threats. Tomlin has signed two veteran quarterbacks in Russell Wilson (since departed) and now Aaron Rodgers (41 years old and a slight improvement under center), but through three games the Steelers offense hasn't answered one essential question: Are they good enough to compete with upper echelon of the AFC?
While Pittsburgh has a winning record on the early season thanks to wins over the Jets and Patriots, they also rank 30th in yards per game, 27th in yards per play and 17th in offensive EPA per play (special thanks to our friend Tommy Jaggi over at Still Curtain). It hasn't helped that the Steelers typically-dominant defense has come crashing back down to earth, despite featuring a depth chart littered with future Hall of Famers and former All-Pros.
Mike Tomlin isn't concerned about Aaron Rodgers and Steelers offense
The Steelers do rank 12th in the NFL in points scored, which most fans would've taken at the beginning of the year with the expectation their defense would return to form. As far as Rodgers goes, Tomlin claims the aging vet has been exactly what he expected.
“[N]ot only in terms of his play, but in terms of his relationship with the game. How he interacts with teammates, how he loves the preparation process,” Tomlin said. “All those things have been double thumbs up, so it’s reasonable to expect the in-stadium performance to mirror that."
The issue here isn't just that Tomlin thinks the Steelers offensive output – led primarily by Rodgers – is good enough, but that he believes a nearly 42-year-old Rodgers is an example of solid quarterback play. Again, the Steelers haven't featured a Pro Bowl quarterback since 2017 in Ben Roethlisberger. This team and fanbase is desperate for a capable passer under center. There's no denying Rodgers is an improvement over the likes of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Wilson...but he's also not the end goal.
“He may be disappointed with how he played last week, but we had an opportunity this week to do something about it. Just watching him day to day, there is not a high level of concern in terms of outcome being what we and he desire," Tomlin continued.
It's no secret Tomlin is fond of Rodgers. He helped recruit the Canton-bound, former Packer to Pittsburgh in the first place. He is always going to say the right thing publicly, even if he knows Rodgers is a mid-tier QB at best at this point in his career. His resume suggests otherwise, though, which should concern Steelers fans of what's to come.
Can the Steelers trust Mike Tomlin in life after Aaron Rodgers?
Tomlin will receive the benefit of the doubt with Rodgers, and it's unlikely the team flames out this season with such an established signal-caller under center. However, with every passing comment Tomlin makes, it becomes more obvious he may not be the right head coach to oversee the Steelers next quarterback of the future. There's a reason Tomlin chose to move on from Pickett in favor of Wilson and now Rodgers, and it's because he prefers a finished product over a young quarterback who may need some work.
In his time with Pickett, Tomlin made several mistakes, including keeping offensive coordinator Matt Canada around far too long, and entrusting the young quarterback's development to an OC who hadn't coached at the professional level before.
Are we to believe Tomlin has learned his lesson? Rodgers could (and probably should) retire following this season. Pittsburgh is set to host the NFL Draft, and the Steelers have plenty of draft capital and need a QB of the future. The question Omar Khan must ask is not just whether Tomlin's act has grown stale in the Steelers locker room, but whether he's the right man to lead Pittsburgh's next face of the franchise into the future.