Each NFL season, there’s at least one team that unexpectedly goes from playoff aspirations to complete collapse. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr believes the Pittsburgh Steelers could be that team in 2026.
“I think I have the Steelers bottoming out just because some team needs to bottom out that surprises us every year,” Orr said this week on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel. “And this is not an indictment of Mike McCarthy. It’s just, your best players are like 38, 43, 34. And so it’s maybe something that happens, right?”
On paper, Orr isn’t wrong. Pittsburgh enters the 2026 regular season with the NFL’s oldest roster, tied with the Atlanta Falcons at an average age of 27.1 years. Key players including Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Jalen Ramsey are all 30 or older, and a dozen total players on the active roster have reached that threshold.
Even with an infusion of eleven rookies on the initial 53-man roster, Pittsburgh’s veteran core brings the average age up enough to top the list.
Based on the talent that Pittsburgh brought in this offseason, it’s difficult to argue that they will be worse this season. Additional depth at wide receiver and cornerback figures to pay dividends while additions elsewhere have addressed some of biggest roster weaknesses from a year ago. The Steelers added Michael Pittman Jr. at wide receiver, Jamel Dean at cornerback, and Jaquan Brisker at safety, among others.
A new coaching staff always bring with it uncertainty, but despite the aging core, Pittsburgh’s roster feels more complete than a year ago. The Steelers may be old, but they aren’t necessarily lacking in talent. The question is whether that veteran talent can remain healthy and productive for an entire season.
Many of the other predictions of Pittsburgh’s downfall this season has centered around the lack of faith in Mike McCarthy or the inability to upgrade at quarterback. Orr’s prediction is different. His argument is rooted primarily in the age of the roster and the possibility that some of Pittsburgh’s key players begin to decline.
For Orr’s prediction to come true, it probably wouldn’t require a complete collapse by Pittsburgh’s veteran players. Especially in a tough division like the AFC North, incremental declines or injuries to key players can take a toll in a league where not much separates winning and losing.
Pittsburgh has spent the offseason trying to prevent exactly that scenario. The roster is deeper and there is more young talent entering the building. The Steelers believe their veteran core still has enough left to compete. The NFL is always unpredictable, but recent history has taught us that Pittsburgh has consistently found a way to keep their head above water. They’ll aim to do that – and more – in 2026.