When the Steelers are contending for Super Bowl titles, the NFL is more interesting, and its media partners paying billions in rights are more satisfied.
Ever since their glory days in the 1970s, the Steelers have been a top TV draw, along with the Cowboys and Packers. But the six-time Super Bowl-winning franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. They’ve struggled at quarterback since two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger retired after 18 seasons in 2022.
But the Steelers’ offseason flurry of “win-now” moves is being cheered across sports media. Besides signing four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, they swung a blockbuster trade Monday with the Dolphins, swapping three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. They previously acquired star wide receiver DK Metcalf and cornerback Darius Slay. NFL insiders are optimistic they’ll reach a deal with pass-rusher T.J. Watt. Put it all together, and interest is rising around the Steelers, which translates into bigger TV ratings for media partners.
“This is an all-in move. Very atypical of Pittsburgh. Very intriguing,” said former Dolphins GM turned ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum about the Ramsey trade on Monday’s Get Up. NBC Sports’s Matthew Berry wrote on X/Twitter: “Steelers gonna play ridiculous defense, run the hell out of the ball and win every game like 17-13.” On his show, Dan Le Batard said it will be a season of “uncommon pressure” for coach Mike Tomlin. The Super Bowl-winning coach “either gets further in the playoffs this year—or he’s in big trouble.”
Linking your fortunes to the 41-year-old Rodgers could be a disaster; especially after his mediocre season with the Jets. There’s no doubt the Steelers roster is aging. But I canvassed a couple of NFL TV partners for their reaction to the team’s offseason moves on Monday. They declined to be quoted—but were excited to finally see the conservative “Steeler Way” adapt to the win-now realities of the NFL.
“There’s a respect and mystique around the history of the Steelers. They have good ownership; they do things the right way; and they’re an easy team to root for,” one TV partner tells me. “They have a massive fan base all over the country and all over the world. And Tomlin’s universally respected.”
That was just the immediate sports media reaction on Monday. Wait until more famous members of “Steelers Nation,” such as ESPN’s First Take superstar Stephen A. Smith and NBC’s Snoop Dogg, start waving their terrible towels for their favorite NFL team.
The Steelers will kick off their season on Sept. 7, with Rodgers taking on his former team the Jets. Expect huge TV numbers for CBS Sports.
Despite their lousy playoff record over the past decade, NFL schedulers put the Steelers in four nationally-televised primetime games as well as five standalone games this season: NFL Network’s telecast of the Steelers-Vikings international game from Dublin on Sept. 28; Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football stream of Steelers-Benglas on Oct. 16; NBC Sunday Night Football’s twin telecasts of Steelers-Packers on Oct. 26 and Steelers-Chargers on Nov. 9; and ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast of Steelers-Dolphins on Dec. 15
The Cowboys, Chiefs, and Commanders lead the league with eight standalone regular-season game telecasts this season, followed by the Super Bowl champion Eagles with seven. But if the Steelers win big, look for the NFL to reach for the flex button and shift some of their afternoon games into broader windows. In short, most signs point to The Steel Curtain once again becoming must-see TV this season.
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