Ryan Shazier Talks Tomlin’s Legacy, Importance of Rodgers Potential Return to Steelers
Ryan Shazier is optimistic the Pittsburgh Steelers can get back on the right track.
The former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker helped lead the Steelers to their last playoff win during the 2016 season in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh is currently on a seven-game postseason losing streak and they’ll look to end that streak this season.
Obviously, the team made a major move in hiring Pittsburgh area native Mike McCarthy, replacing longtime head coach Mike Tomlin. Shazier — who played and coached for Tomlin — said his former coach’s legacy in Pittsburgh is an “amazing one.” Tomlin never had a losing season in 19 years as the Steelers’ head coach.
“I think his legacy in Pittsburgh is an amazing one,” said Shazier in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “I don’t know if there’s many coaches that you can say that’s never had a losing season. For me he was a great coach. He left a great mark on my life and I’m always going to remember every moment in every aspect that I’ve had to spend time with him.
“He’s taught me so much leadership, and even the things that I do at the foundation and the way I raise my kids in a way I move around life, he just does a really good job of,” Shazier continued. “He did a really good job of not just raising men, but also coaching us.”
Tomlin Deserves Credit
Tomlin struggled to lead the Steelers to postseason success in recent years, with five of those seven losses being by double digits. It was a major reason the franchise and Tomlin decided to go in different directions.
Shazier said that Tomlin was able to keep the Steelers in contention on an annual basis is an accomplishment in itself.
“When you think about it, he got to two Super Bowls,” said Shazier. “He won a Super Bowl. I feel like the city of Pittsburgh has been blessed to have somebody like that. Because not every city can say every year that they play ball, that there’s a chance that they can win a Super Bowl, that they’re going to be in the playoffs, that they want to be having a winning season.
“Even when you thought that things weren’t looking good, he always found a way,” Shazier continued. “You always want to have a leader that you feel can find a way when it doesn’t seem like there’s a way.”
The 54-year-old Tomlin will be taking an analyst job with NBC’s Sunday Night pregame show for the 2026 season. Shazier won’t predict whether or not Tomlin will coach again, but said he has a “great legacy” even if he decides not to coach again.
“He’s still a young guy, I think he’s gonna do a great job being an analyst,” said Shazier. “He loves the game of football, so I think that’s why he’s going to do such a great job at it. But time will tell with his decision. He’s coached a long time, he’s had a great, great legacy, and a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to start as early as he did and coach as long as he did.
“He already has more coaching, a longer coaching life than a lot of coaches already have,” Shazier continued. “So if he decides to retire for good, I’m happy for him and when he talks on TV, I know he’s gonna do great. If he decides to come back and coach, I think he’s gonna do amazing either way.”
Aaron Rodgers Return?
The Steelers are hoping that Aaron Rodgers comes back for a second season in Pittsburgh. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, that appears to be the case as it’s expected that the four-time MVP will return for what will be his 22nd season.
Rodgers had a solid debut year in Pittsburgh, throwing 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions for a 94.8 passer rating. He helped lead the Steelers to their first division title since the 2020 season.
With Rodgers in the fold, reuniting with McCarthy — the two were a longtime pair and won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers — the Steelers have a shot at advancing deep into the playoffs and winning their first playoff game in a decade.
“I think the one thing that Aaron brings to the table is that he’s a leader,” said Shazier. “He’s won a Super Bowl before. It’s really nice that he’s going to have a former coach that he’s had before, so they have the same terminology. But I think the one thing that the Steelers are transitioning is we have a younger team. With us having a younger team in certain areas, we have an older defense, but the offensive side is younger. With that veteran leadership, somebody that’s been in that role before, and he still has a really strong arm. He still has the same mindset.”
Rodgers will be the oldest player in the NFL if he plays in 2026, as he’ll turn 43 years old in December. Shazier mentioned that Rodgers already has a rapport with tight end Pat Freiermuth and wide receiver DK Metcalf. He will also provide veteran leadership to the young quarterbacks in rookie Drew Allar and Will Howard.
“He can provide that type of knowledge and leadership to the younger guys, for the offensive guys — the offensive line, for the receivers,” said Shazier. “We have an older receiver core, which is still nice, but he can communicate with those guys, because he built a relationship with Pat, with DK last year, then adding Michael Pittman Jr., I think is awesome as well. But then also the leadership to the quarterbacks behind him, with Drew Allar and Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Those are a lot of guys that can still develop and just learn from him. I think that can provide so much support to the two young guys.”
Allar was an accomplished quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, starting three seasons and leading the program to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. Allar was one of the more highly regarded quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Steelers selected him in the third round. The 6-foot-5 quarterback was the fourth passer selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“I think Aaron, just the leadership aspect, Will learned a lot from him last year, and the guys can learn from him,” said Shazier of Rodgers providing mentorship for the young quarterbacks. “He has a great arm, and then he’s one of the top passes of all time. What can’t you learn from him. I think that’s one thing that’s great to have for Drew Allar and Will Howard are the younger guys, and then I think just Drew Allar has all the talent in the world.
“That’s why you saw the team was very excited about drafting him before he got injured this season, he was one of the guys that people were expecting to go very early,” Shazier continued. “To be able to get him at this point that we got him, I think that’s a really good space for us, and it also adds some competition. The one thing I think that’s great about sports is iron sharpens iron. With us getting Drew Allar and having Will Howard, a lot of them guys that compete as well, while also learning from a guy like Aaron and Coach McCarthy, who is great at developing quarterbacks.”
Rodgers’ Legacy
When asked what he believes Rodgers’ legacy will be whenever he does retire, Shazier kept it simple — he’s gonna go down as one of the best to ever do it.
“I think his legacy is going to be the same legacy that he has always had, which is being one of the best players to have ever played the game of football,” said Shazier. “He has one of the best arms that you’ll ever see. He had the best arm that anybody had seen before Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen got into the league. I think that he’s going to be one of those guys that’s going to be cemented as a top 10 quarterback, one of the guys that people think has all the talent in the world.”
Shazier said he believes the Steelers have the pieces to win a Super Bowl with Rodgers.
“He’s won his Super Bowl and one thing that’s great about the Steelers is that we have veteran leadership all around the team,” Shazier said. “I think that we can go on one more run. I think that we have the pieces, especially on the offensive side now and I would love to see Aaron hoist another Lombardi Trophy for the city of Pittsburgh.”
Shazier — who currently works in alumni relations with the Steelers and previously worked as a coaching assistant for the team — will be preparing for “Wings For Life World Run” on Sunday, May 10, which starts at 7 am ET. The event will raise funds for research and help find a cure for spinal cord injuries, something that Shazier has gone through after seeing his NFL career end due to that exact nature of injury during the 2017 season.
The 33-year-old learned how to walk again following the injury and announced his retirement from football in 2020.
“This is my first year doing it,” said Shazier. “I have my foundation, and we’re here in America, and we started small in Pittsburgh, and now we’re expanding to Pennsylvania, all of Pennsylvania, all of West Virginia, all of Ohio. Hopefully, we’ll be able to be global, like Wings for Life. But as we continue to grow, I was just learning more and more about different avenues to support individuals with spinal cord injuries, and I found out about Wings For Life and what they do.”
