The Pittsburgh Steelers may or may not have considered Aaron Rodgers when constructing the rest of their offense. Two notable receivers they brought in, Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard, seem to mesh well with his style of play. They should make life easier for Rodgers, according to The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen.
“If you are trying to build the Aaron Rodgers offense for one last ride, it’s an 11-personnel offense, where two of the receivers are like, can they just be in the right spot, and catch the football, and run forward once I give it to them. And at least Michael Pittman and Germie Bernard can do that,” Klassen said Tuesday on his Athletic Football Show.
Last year, Rodgers couldn’t get on the same page as most of the receiving corps. If he returns, the hope is Pittman and Bernard don’t have those same woes. Both are smart receivers who can get open against zone coverage, while having the deception to beat man coverage as well.
Those skills should suit Rodgers, who looked to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible in 2026, with a ton of passes completed around the line of scrimmage. Both receivers (but especially Bernard) have the ability to make things happen after the catch, so the Steelers might have some good things cooking on offense.
However, Klassen doubts the overall potential for the unit. If it’s Rodgers, he doesn’t expect the unit to look much better than it did last year.
“I do not think this offense is going to be good,” Klassen said. “I don’t really trust that you’re going to get high enough ceiling out of the quarterback for that to mean anything.”
Overall, it’s hard to find a spot the Steelers got worse at offensively. Losing Isaac Seumalo hurt the offensive line. But the Steelers added Brock Hoffman, then drafted two youngsters in Gennings Dunker and Max Iheanachor. There are some questions, but certainly more depth for the unit.
At tight end, the Steelers may actually benefit after moving on from Jonnu Smith. That allows Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington to take the spotlight. They lost Kenneth Gainwell at running back, but Pittsburgh brought in Rico Dowdle.
However, the Steelers offense will only go as far as Rodgers takes it, if he returns. And as of now, Klassen doesn’t believe Rodgers can carry that group very far.