The Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines when they were able to come to a deal with quarterback Aaron Rodgers to return to the franchise for another season. It was good news for Pittsburgh, seeing that Rodgers led the team to a 10-7 record and the top spot in the AFC North during the 2025 season and could go even further in 2026.
But, perhaps that wasn’t the best move of the Steelers’ offseason. Maybe there’s another move that means more.
Mike Sando of The Athletic has released a list of his favorite moves for each NFL franchise during the offseason. Even though the Rodgers move got all the press, he highlights a different Steelers move as his favorite.
Aaron Rodgers doesn’t highlight best-of tally for Steelers (but it’s still a great move)
Sando loves the decision to hire Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.
“The Steelers dipped to No. 19 in defensive EPA per play last season, making this an apt time to change a scheme that critics felt had gone stale under longtime coach Mike Tomlin,” he states in the piece. “Graham, constrained by Pete Carroll’s defensive philosophy in Las Vegas last season, should enjoy greater autonomy under his new offense-minded boss, Mike McCarthy.”
It’s certainly the case that hiring Graham was a solid move, and it flew a little under the radar amid the Mike McCarthy hire and Rodgers re-signing. Even though much of the focus has been getting a stronger offense to help Rodgers, in the end, it may be the Steelers defense that wins games.