One Number Shows Steelers Plan Works

The Pittsburgh Steelers catch a lot of flak for essentially being tolerant of mediocrity and not actively taking huge risks in the name of meaningfully pursuing their seventh Super Bowl in franchise history.

A benefit of the Steelers' annual plans, for as controversial as they may be across the NFL landscape, is that they are a playoff contender year in and year out while never bottoming out.

Analyst Warren Sharp provided ample evidence in that regard with a list of how many times each NFL team has finished in last place since 2010. The Steelers, along with the Green Bay Packers, are the only two to have never found themselves as cellar dwellers over that span.

4th place division finishes since 2010:

10 - CLE
9
8 - NYJ
7 - TB, WAS, CHI, ARI
6 - JAX, TEN, DET
5 - DEN, CIN, CAR, SF, LV, NYG
4 - BUF, LAC
3 - HOU, PHI, LAR, MIN
2 - ATL, MIA, KC, NE, NO
1 - BAL, SEA, DAL, IND
0 - PIT, GB
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 14, 2026

Steelers Have a Type

The irony associated with Green Bay having never placed last in the NFC North since 2010 is the fact that Mike McCarthy was the franchise's head coach for half of that time, from 2010 to 2018, while Aaron Rodgers was their quarterback from 2010 to 2022.

Pittsburgh, of course, signed Rodgers ahead of the 2025 campaign in hopes of taking the next step towards competing in the AFC in what turned out to be Mike Tomlin's last year as head coach.

After Tomlin stepped down, the Steelers brought McCarthy in as his successor and subsequently reunited Rodgers with him instead of turning the page and looking towards the future at the quarterback position with either Will Howard or Drew Allar.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) makes a pass against Detroit Lions during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Is Pittsburgh's Plan the Right One?

The Steelers should have pride in the fact that they haven't endured a losing season since 2003, especially since they've won two Super Bowls over that timeframe.

If the franchise had even an iota of postseason success over the last decade, however, the discussions surrounding their status and reputation as a middling team would quell significantly.

It goes without saying that every organization in the NFL should strive to compete each season and give themselves the best chance of making the playoffs come January.

At the same time, recognizing when it's time to reset and change course is vital to the long-term success of a franchise, and Pittsburgh has yet to do so.

For as talented and accomplished as Tomlin was, a parting of ways was long overdue for both sides. Instead of bringing in a younger, more modern candidate like the league's most prosperous teams have done in recent years, though, the Steelers opted for a retread in McCarthy.

McCarthy has a track record of success (including a win in Super Bowl XLV over Pittsburgh) and is a respectable head coach who helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to three straight 12-win seasons from 2022 to 2024 before being let go after the 2025 campaign.

Pittsburgh knows exactly what it's getting out of McCarthy, and it's not all that different from what Tomlin brought to the table at the end of his tenure as a floor-raising veteran head coach who has the locker room's support and will keep the team competitive while not having much of a ceiling.

The Steelers could've truly turned a new leaf by remodeling their structure this offseason, but instead it'll likely be more of the same for at least 2026. Whether or not that's a good thing is up to interpretation.

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