There are a few places an NFL franchise can live.
You can live at the top — the Super Bowl contenders.
You can live at the bottom — the rebuilders.
Or you can live in the worst place possible.
Football purgatory.
Not bad enough to rebuild.
Not good enough to win a championship.
And nobody — absolutely nobody — has mastered that middle ground quite like
the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let’s play a quick game.
I’ll give you one hint about their 2026 roster.
Their starting quarterback is 42 years old.
Yes, that’s Aaron Rodgers.
Yes, he is their starting quarterback.
And yes, Steelers fans are expected to believe this is a legitimate Super Bowl plan.
The Masters of Respectable Mediocrity
To be fair, the Steelers have been incredibly successful under Mike Tomlin.
Since Tomlin took over in 2007:
Over 170 regular season wins
No losing seasons
Top three in total wins during that span
That kind of consistency is rare in the NFL. Most franchises would sacrifice their
mascot for that level of stability.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth.
1Consistency eventually turns into stagnation.
Because during that same stretch the Steelers have:
3 playoff wins since 2016
0 Super Bowl appearances
Several playoff exits that felt over before halftime
At some point, the Pittsburgh standard isn’t supposed to be “competitive.”
It’s supposed to be championships.
The Coaching Reset That Wasn't Really a Reset
So the Steelers moved on from Tomlin.
Fair enough. The criticism had been building for years — specifically around play-
off results.
Tomlin’s postseason record?
8–11.
Not terrible, but certainly not the résumé of a dynasty builder either.
So what was Pittsburgh’s solution?
Hire Mike McCarthy.
Yes, that Mike McCarthy.
The same Mike McCarthy who was just fired by the Dallas Cowboys… for not hav-
ing enough playoff success.
Tomlin’s playoff record: 8–11
McCarthy’s playoff record: 11–11
Which raises a fair question.
What exactly changed here?
If the goal was a true reset, Pittsburgh could have gone young. They could have
found the next offensive mind from the Sean McVay coaching tree. They could have
modernized the offense.
2Instead, they essentially swapped out one veteran coach with postseason frustra-
tions for another veteran coach with postseason frustrations.
It’s less of a reset and more of a software update that didn’t actually fix the bug.
The Defense That Costs a Fortune… and Plays Like It
Here’s where the Steelers situation becomes even more confusing.
Last season, they fielded the highest-paid defense in the NFL.
Their ranking in total defense?
26th.
That’s not exactly Steel Curtain material.
The unit allowed over 350 yards per game and struggled particularly against the
run — something that historically defined Pittsburgh football.
When you're spending elite money on a defense that performs like a bottom-tier
unit, something is fundamentally broken.
Credit Where It's Due: The Offseason Was Actually Good
Now, here’s where Pittsburgh deserves some credit.
They had a surprisingly solid offseason.
They traded for Michael Pittman Jr., a physical possession receiver who consistent-
ly hovers around 1,000 yards per season.
Not only that, but they added Jamel Dean, a proven starter who helps stabilize a
secondary that struggled with consistency.
And they brought in Jaquan Brisker, a downhill safety known for his physicality
and run support.
Pair Pittman with DK Metcalf and suddenly the Steelers actually have a respectable
receiver room.
On paper, this is a real roster upgrade.
The Entire Season Still Depends on a 42-Year-Old
3But none of those moves matter if one thing goes wrong.
Everything revolves around Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers can still play. Nobody questions the arm talent or the football IQ. Even
late in his career, he remains capable of carving up defenses.
The problem is durability.
Rodgers is 42 years old and coming off multiple seasons where injuries have been
a concern.
Asking a quarterback in his forties to survive a full NFL season behind a question-
able offensive line is… optimistic.
If Rodgers stays healthy, Pittsburgh might win ten games.
If he misses time?
The entire plan collapses faster than a folding table in a Bills Mafia parking lot.
Which Brings Us to Dallas
And that brings us to the irony of the entire situation.
Because the coach Pittsburgh hired to fix their playoff issue… was fired for having
the same playoff issue somewhere else.
McCarthy’s previous employer?
The Dallas Cowboys.
A franchise that might actually be even better at living in football purgatory than
Pittsburgh.
The Cowboys have been one of the most talented teams in the NFL for years.
They’ve had MVP-caliber quarterback play from Dak Prescott.
They’ve fielded elite defenses led by stars like Micah Parsons.
They’ve won double-digit games multiple times over the last decade.
And yet…
The Cowboys haven’t appeared in an NFC Championship Game since 1995.
4Let that sink in.
Three decades of talent, hype, primetime games, and “this is our year” energy —
with nothing to show for it when January rolls around.
Sound familiar?
The Two Kings of the Middle
Which is why the Steelers and Cowboys actually belong in the same conversation.
Two historic franchises.
Two massive fan bases.
Two teams that win a lot of regular-season games.
And two organizations that somehow keep ending up in the exact same place
every year.
Around nine wins.
Competitive enough to stay relevant.
Respectable enough to avoid embarrassment.
And nowhere near good enough to win the one thing that actually matters.
In other words…
Perfectly respectable seasons.
Just not championship ones.
