Will Michael Pittman Jr. thrive with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback?
Michael Pittman had a quarterback who really believed in him and could get him the ball last year, and his stats showed it. He had a career year in terms of receiving touchdowns, but Daniel Jones’ injury robbed them of a complete season together. Now in 2026, he has an opportunity to have a complete season with Aaron Rodgers.
Will he find a similar connection with a quarterback who leans heavily toward knowledgeable wide receivers who know how to do their jobs? Pittman and Rodgers already had a prior connection off the field, which won’t hurt, either. But he seems to be in a similar vein to other receivers who thrived with Rodgers.
Of course, this all depends on how the offense shakes out. Last year, DK Metcalf struggled to break out because the Steelers has no other threats that opponents respected. Pittsburgh acquired Michael Pittman to be that other threat, but he is far from just a decoy. The whole idea is that he is going to produce as well, after all.
Michael Pittman has a couple 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, though he’s only recorded five-plus touchdowns twice. Most recently just last season, recording a career-high seven. Without Daniel Jones as his quarterback, though, the entire Colts offense suffered.
Notably, Pittman caught a career-high 72.1 percent of his targets last year. I think he could serve a similar role for Rodgers this year. Not a major vertical threat, but more of an Adam Thielen type who is not at the tail end of his career. And Rodgers picked up with Thielen quite easily, in-season, with no prior relationship.
Pittman and Rodgers will have had more or less a full offseason together. It’s quite possible they will hit the ground running, especially in Mike McCarthy’s offense. And if that is the case, this could certainly be a playoff offense.
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks. With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.
We’re already into training camp, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team that loses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.