Mike McCarthy has made it pretty clear what kind of quarterback he thinks can survive and thrive in Pittsburgh.
At the NFL League Meetings this offseason, McCarthy pointed to the demands of the AFC North and the cold as part of the equation.
"At the end of the day, the most important games are in December and January," McCarthy said at the NFL League Meetings this offseason. "To be able to play in those games outdoors, it requires to play a certain way.
"... I had to change a little bit going from Green Bay, Wis., to Dallas, Texas, on the expectations of how I think I can play with a quarterback as opposed to how I know I can play.
(Longtime Packers) Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers are Hall of Fame quarterbacks. But they both have long arms.
They both have 10-inch hands. And to win playoff games, to win games in December … (former Steelers QB) Ben Roethlisberger is the same way, you’d have to play against him in cold weather.
Your guy’s got to throw better than the other guy in the big games, or you’ve got to try to put them in position to."
That description sounds a lot like the Steelers’ usual quarterback mold: big, physical, and built for the grind. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the answer has to come from a cold-weather background. It just has to look the part.
A recent photo of Dak Prescott is doing exactly that.
"Dak Prescott is looking JACKED going into this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/jsndXSjf4K"
With Taylor Lewan having lost weight since retiring from the NFL, the contrast made Prescott’s size stand out even more. The Cowboys quarterback appears to be in the best shape of his career, and that matters because 2026 could be a pivotal year for him.
Prescott signed a deal in 2024 under McCarthy and is set to be paid through 2028. But the financial picture gets a lot trickier later on, with his salary cap hit climbing sharply in 2027 and 2028. That could push Dallas toward a decision before they keep paying top dollar without the Super Bowl results to match.
That’s where Pittsburgh enters the conversation. The Steelers could see Prescott as a veteran answer to replace Rodgers while keeping their Super Bowl window open. They’d also have the flexibility to extend him and reduce the cap hits of $76 million and $86 million in 2027 and 2028.
The Steelers still want to find their next franchise quarterback, but that doesn’t automatically mean they have to draft one. If the right veteran is available and can keep them in contention for years, they’d have reason to consider it.
And with Prescott’s history with McCarthy, plus those eye-catching photos making the rounds, it’s at least worth starting the reunion conversation.
In Other News...
Aaron Rodgers Just Raised The Mental Stakes For Steelers Receivers
Aaron Rodgers has always made the quarterback position feel a little more like code-breaking than straight play-calling, and Adam Thielen recently put language to it. The veteran receiver described the challenge of learning not just the offense, but Rodgers extra layer of hand signals, route tweaks and pre-snap checks, the kind of nonverbal system that lets the quarterback adjust to what the defense shows before the ball is snapped.
For the Steelers, that means camp is about more than memorizing assignments. The receivers trying to win Rodgers trust will have to absorb the base offense and the quarterbacks personal shorthand at the same time, which is no small ask when timing matters so much. Thielen said the process can feel like learning a whole language beyond the actual language, and that is the mental hurdle Pittsburghs pass catchers now have to clear if they want to be on the same page when it counts. [Read more 🡒]
George Pickens Just Stirred Steelers Fans Worst Fear
George Pickens managed to get Steelers fans talking without saying a word, posting a video on his Instagram story that showed him warming up in a Pittsburgh uniform before a game against the Ravens. In a vacuum, it could have been nothing more than a pregame clip, but in the social-media age even the smallest gesture can light up a fan base that is already wired to read between the lines.
The timing only added to the noise, because anything involving Pickens and Baltimore is going to set off alarms in Pittsburgh. There is no official trade rumor to point to, but the idea of losing a talent like Pickens to a division rival is the kind of scenario that would hit the Steelers where it hurts most, especially with the AFC North race and the broader playoff picture always hanging in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Quietly Added The Kind Of Hire That Wins Tight Games
Mike McCarthys first big move with the Steelers has not been about splashy names or scheme buzz, but about tightening the margins that usually decide November and January football. Pittsburgh has been expanding its coaching staff in a few different directions, and the overall idea is clear enough: give the new head coach more support, more structure and more help handling the details that can swing a close game.
One of the more interesting additions fits that mission perfectly. The Steelers brought in Tim Berbenich for a role built around game management and quarterback support, the kind of behind-the-scenes job that lives in the space between analytics and instinct. It is the sort of hire that does not grab headlines on day one, but can matter plenty when the clock is winding down and every decision starts to feel like a season-defining one. [Read more 🡒]