This article is from The Athletic\u2019s NFL newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive it directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n Steelers reunite Rodgers and McCarthy<\/p>\n Bringing back a cast of characters in the hopes of reclaiming glory is a risky endeavor.<\/p>\n History is littered with warning signs. The second \u201cCaddyshack,\u201d second \u201cJoker\u201d or fourth \u201cJaws.\u201d That \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d movie with \u201cCrystal Skull\u201d somewhere in its title. When Michael Jordan came back to play for the Wizards.<\/p>\n However, there are also successes like \u201cTop Gun: Maverick,\u201d Tiger Woods\u2019 performance at Augusta National in 2019 or LeBron James\u2019 return to Cleveland in 2014. (And 2026<\/a>?)<\/p>\n I doubt the Rodgers-Mike McCarthy reunion fits neatly into either of those buckets.\u00a0Pittsburgh\u2019s best-case scenario would be a Super Bowl victory, of course, something Rodgers and McCarthy accomplished once in their 11 Green Bay seasons together by beating Pittsburgh itself in 2010.<\/p>\n They now reunite for a big sequel 16 years later, after doing the NFL equivalent of failed spinoffs. McCarthy was let go by the Cowboys for failing to win in the postseason, while the Jets moved on from Rodgers after failing to\u00a0sniff\u00a0the postseason.<\/p>\n The worst-case scenario? Still better than some reunions,\u00a0as our Steelers beat reporter, Mike DeFabo, explains in his story on\u00a0what\u2019s next for Pittsburgh<\/a>:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cOne could make a strong argument that Rodgers is the best of some unappealing options.<\/p>\n \u201cEven in his early 40s, Rodgers still has elite arm talent. He has an unparalleled football IQ. Last season, he passed knowledge down to younger players and, at the line of scrimmage, consistently got the Steelers into the best plays.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps more than anything, he was an incredibly willing and hands-on mentor to rookie QB Will Howard from the first day at mandatory minicamp, something that should benefit 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar.\u201d<\/p>\n So while pairing McCarthy with the name\u00a0Aaron Rodgers seems like the epitome of a boom-or-bust opportunity \u2026 these are still the Steelers. Mike Tomlin or not, it\u2019s hard to imagine anything but another forgettable 10-7 season with a first-round exit. Yawn.<\/p>\n For more on why Rodgers returned and the situation in Pittsburgh, I recommend\u00a0reading Mike\u2019s full story here<\/a>.\u00a0As for more exciting things to think about \u2026<\/p>\n The can\u2019t miss games of 2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s early. I get that. But we can still start our countdown to Week 1, when the NFL season begins with Patriots-Seahawks in Seattle. Only 115 days until that \u2026 um \u2026 Wednesday!<\/p>\n The amazing part about the upcoming year: That Super Bowl rematch\u00a0isn\u2019t even among the schedule\u2019s top draws. Earlier this morning, our staff picked\u00a0the top must-see games for all 32 teams<\/a>, and both those teams have more appealing games elsewhere.<\/p>\n As for my favorites on that list, we\u2019ll have to wait for the best games, since they\u2019re mostly in the season\u2019s second half:<\/p>\n Yes, Week 17 is the time to avoid events. From New Year\u2019s Eve (Ravens-Bengals) through Jan. 4 (Texans-Packers), don\u2019t make plans to go anywhere that lacks a TV.<\/p>\n One more game worth noting:\u00a0Buccaneers at\u00a0Lions, Week 11.\u00a0In our staff\u2019s list of big games, Dan Pompei explained why this one matters:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cThe Lions have been a measuring stick for the Bucs in recent years and could be again this season. The Bucs are coming off a bye while the Lions are coming off a game in Munich against the Patriots.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bucs have lost three of four to the Lions in the last three seasons, including a divisional playoff game in 2024, but have attempted to tilt the rivalry by signing three former Lions in Alex Anzalone, Al-Quadin Muhammad and A\u2019Shawn Robinson.\u201d<\/p>\n For the full list of gotta-see games for all 32 teams, our story is\u00a0unlocked for you here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf99 \u2018TAFS\u2019: Minnesota\u2019s savvy move<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen plenty of sneaky-good additions this offseason, all of which my colleagues at \u201cThe Athletic Football Show\u201d covered in\u00a0last week\u2019s episode<\/a>.<\/p>\n One especially stood out to co-host Robert Mays: the Vikings signing former Steelers cornerback James Pierre. Here was Mays\u2019 explanation:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cFrom Week 10 on, which is exactly when James Pierre started playing at a high clip, the Steelers were playing Cover 2 about 20 percent of the time, which was the fifth-highest rate in the league and a notable jump from what they had done in any previous season. That was the fifth-highest rate in the NFL.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, he\u2019s going to Minnesota, where they\u2019re doing it 26, 27 percent. And if you go back and just think about the best moments from Pierre\u2019s second half of last season, a lot of it is where he\u2019s playing that Cover 2 corner in the flat, sinking underneath, making stuff happen.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was very adept at doing that stuff.\u00a0And now he\u2019s going to a place where they\u2019re going to be asking their corners to do more of that\u00a0than almost any other team.\u201d<\/p>\n Plenty more in the full episode, including on the ageless defensive tackle Calais Campbell returning to Baltimore for his 19th season.\u00a0You can watch it all here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Extra Points<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 Way-too-early projections.\u00a0Schedule in hand, Austin Mock uses his model to evaluate\u00a0Super Bowl odds and playoff projections<\/a>\u00a0for every team. Things get better and better for Seattle.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd3 Supplemental draft.\u00a0Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is a high-profile prospect embroiled in a gambling scandal, and he must soon decide whether to enter this summer\u2019s draft.\u00a0The stakes are big<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd28\u00a0Not easy being Shedeur?\u00a0Deion Sanders, who says his son\u00a0went \u201cthrough hell\u201d<\/a>\u00a0as a Browns rookie quarterback, plans to meet with new coach Todd Monken. Uh-oh.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcc8\u00a0Good news in Dallas.\u00a0The Cowboys saw oddsmakers move the team\u2019s\u00a0projected win totals<\/a>\u00a0from 8.5 to 9.5 after the schedule release. Why? As my colleague Doug Kezirian explains, the Cowboys \u201cwill not endure a single short-week road game and also will have at least 11 days off before their two toughest road opponents.\u201d Nice.<\/p>\n \u25b6\ufe0f\u00a0Friday\u2019s most-clicked:\u00a0Ranking all 32 schedule release videos<\/a>, of course.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udceb Enjoyed this read? Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Athletic\u2019s free NFL newsletter in your inbox. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/71dffcb8fef54b80bfa113a96507ce71-2026-must-watch.jpg\"\/)
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