James Harrison isn’t guaranteeing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season with Aaron Rodgers ends in failure. But he certainly sees the risk. In what could be a boom-or-bust year, Harrison warns the year could go south in a hurry.
“I think they can make it work if they winning,” Harrison began saying to co-host T.J. Housmandzadeh on Thursday night’s episode of NightCap. “If they start losing and it’s looking like they ain’t gonna make above .500, I think it gets real ugly, real fast. To the point of they may just be like, ‘you know what, let’s let this dude go midseason. For Aaron, let’s just get him outta here and put one of these other quarterbacks in.’”
Head coach since 2007, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have yet to finish below .500. The last such year occurred more than two decades ago when Pittsburgh finished 6-10 in 2003, leading the franchise to draft QB Ben Roethlisberger the following year.
The odds of Pittsburgh struggling that much under Rodgers seems unlikely. Even in Tomlin’s worst years, the Steelers have shown a knack to rally. An 0-4 start in 2012 and 2023 ended in 8-8 finished. Losing Roethlisberger six quarters into 2019 didn’t stop Pittsburgh from being in the playoff hunt late in the season. And 2022, the first season without Roethlisberger, bottomed out at 2-6 before a late-year surge.
Still, the Steelers won’t be insulated from struggles and there’s plenty to prove. The offense has been below-average or worse for four-straight seasons. Plenty is riding on a young offensive line to develop. Turning 42 before the season ends, Rodgers is a question mark. And Pittsburgh plays in a rough-and-tumble AFC North and difficult conference. Every mistake and every mishap under Rodgers will be examined ten-fold. A smaller media market won’t shield Rodgers from the national microscope. How the team handles that remains to be seen.
James Harrison was adamant Mike Tomlin would win any power struggle with Rodgers, unable to see a scenario in which Tomlin is fired by year’s end. The “other quarterbacks” Pittsburgh could turn to are veteran Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard. Rudolph is well-liked in the locker room and been with the team every step of the offseason. Howard has gained plenty of buzz this spring, even from Rodgers himself.
In fairness, shortly after making those comments, Harrison debated with Houshmandzadeh over the Steelers’ playoff chances. Harrison made the case for why Pittsburgh can make the postseason, citing the team’s defense, while Houshmandzadeh cited the Bengals’ offense putting them over the top.
Both agreed results will drive the narrative of the Steelers’ season.
“It covers up all, all the BS,” Harrison said of the benefits winning brings. “It covers up all the BS. It covers all the stuff in the locker [room].”
Odds are, Rodgers will finish out the year as Pittsburgh’s quarterback. Pundits floated the same suggestion about Russell Wilson, whispering if he could be released if results didn’t follow. Instead, Tomlin stuck with Wilson to the bitter end of a five-game losing streak and Wild Card exit.
The question isn’t over if Rodgers will finish out the year with the Steelers but what the end of the season looks like. More of the same, a competitive team unable to get over the hump, or a year that shifts in either direction. Pittsburgh getting much better or much worse. Either way, James Harrison won’t be share about sharing his opinion.
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