The Pittsburgh Steelers fell in humiliating fashion to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Pittsburgh's defense was nowhere to be found for the second-straight week. While Aaron Rodgers has been a breath of fresh air at the quarterback position, he's not of age to carry this team to the postseason on his own, especially when the opposition is provided a 30-point cushion. While the Steelers still hold a 1.5-game lead in the AFC North, that advantage is dwindling by the week. The question is no longer how the Steelers will add to their roster at the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline, but whether it's wise for them to do so at all.
If you ask Mike Tomlin and Rodgers – a pairing which came together with the goal of winning the Steelers a postseason game for the first time since 2016 – the answer is clear. Despite all their flaws, the Steelers are still in playoff position. Why not patch up some holes and make a run?
Rodgers has only been in Pittsburgh for less than a season now. He doesn't have the same pull as Tomlin, who has spent the better part of two decades with the Steelers and has a Super Bowl to his name. However, there are cracks in the foundation Tomlin has worked so hard to build over his tenure. The defense is horrendous, with veteran leaders openly admitting something is missing, and it starts with effort. Whether it be scheme, injuries or poor play from stars fans ought to expect better from, the Steelers are running out of gas. If Tomlin is the bus driver, he may need to find his own exit ramp to avoid complete disaster.
The Steelers are tired of playing in football purgatory
Omar Khan's first answer to addressing the Steelers issues favored Rodgers and the organization's future rather than a short-term fix that would part with much-needed draft capital. There's still plenty of time for Tomlin to get his way, as the deadline is over a week away, but if Monday's free-agent signing is any indication, Pittsburgh has grown tired of its place in football purgatory.
The Steelers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a receiver Rodgers has plenty of experience with from his time in Green Bay and New York, as an addition to one of the weakest position groups in the NFL. As evidenced by Pittsburgh's offensive struggles on Sunday night, this team has little-to-no hope of moving the chains once they suffer the simplest of setbacks. The Steelers thrive when they're able to get positive contributions on first and second down. You can say that about most teams, but when the Steelers take a step back, either via a negative gain or penalty, they might as well punt on third down.
At 31 years old, Valdes-Scantling can't create the separation that once made him such a deep threat in Green Bay. However, he has the opportunity to stand out as a real WR2, something Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin haven't been able to do halfway through the season. It shouldn't come as a surprise the Steelers added one of Rodgers' good friends to address arguably their most glaring problem on offense, as it's a strategy the Jets employed time and time again during the future Hall-of-Famer's tenure in the Meadowlands. Whether it'll actually work this time around remains to be seen, and won't matter much if the defense doesn't finally play up to its potential.
Steelers shouldn't buy at the NFL trade deadline
If Tomlin had his way, the Steelers would trade for proven veterans at the deadline. Somewhere deep down – even with infinite job security at his back – Tomlin can hear the noise from Steelers fans and even within the organization. He's running out of time and excuses, chief among them being Pittsburgh's inability to find competent QB play and move the football on offense. This season, that's been anything but the case, while the Steelers' perceived strength has turned into a glaring weakness.
The sad truth is there is no addition this Steelers team could make to leapfrog the best of the best in the AFC. Pittsburgh went all-in on a veteran-led defense, and didn't expect most of those contributors to hit the post-30 wall at the same time. The Steelers pass rush has shown glimpses of its past brilliance, but the secondary can't hold up long enough for that initial push to matter. That's on Tomlin, whose push to acquire Jalen Ramsey in training camp did not go unnoticed. Darius Slay is a shell of his former self. Even Watt, who signed a record-breaking contract prior to this season, has taken a noticeable step back in 2025.
Whether Tomlin wants to admit it or not, it's the end of an era in Pittsburgh. He could still be part of what comes next, but it'll take some serious introspection and, for once, embracing the unknown to draft and develop offensive talent.
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