Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden had a blunt message to fans and analyst who are doubting the Steelers in 2026.
“We know at the end of the day, people are sleeping on the Steelers because they aren’t expecting them to do nothing. But you know when you really look at the roster, if they do lock in, it’s going to be problems [for opponents]. It’s going to be trouble,” Haden said on his Deebo & Joe podcast. “
“Everybody keeps talking about we have Old Man Aaron,” Haden continued. “Philip Rivers at 45 off the couch and was swinging the ball for them. Don’t tell me Aaron Rodgers is not way better than that. We got a good running game, Aaron Rodgers is smart over his shoulders, he still spins the rock. People last season were dropping some passes.”
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com tabbed McCarthy as his long-shot candidate to win the league’s Coach of the Year honors. Haden believes that’s a real possibility.
“We win the division, we get top 10 in offense and defense. And then we win our first playoff game, second playoff game, and then he’s Coach of the Year for me,” Haden said.
“At the end of the day, we have the talent here on the team.”
Kevin Clark of ESPN recently ripped the Steelers’ 60-1 odds to win Super Bowl LXI. He thinks those odds are absolutely laughable.
“65 to 1. What are we doing? I don’t think the Steelers are winning the Super Bowl, but they should never be that low down,” Clark said on his This Is Football podcast.
The Steelers are always at least competitive. They haven’t had a losing season since 2003. While last season ended on a brutal note, getting manhandled by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card game, the Steelers won the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
The Steelers’ odds to win the AFC North sit at roughly +550 across major sportsbooks, making them the third-favorites to win the division. The Baltimore Ravens are once again the favorites, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cleveland Browns are expected to be in the basement of the AFC North again, especially with All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett no longer on the team.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Joe Haden Sends Blunt Message to Steelers Naysayers
