The Jig Is Up for Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers

The magic ran out for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was a rollercoaster season in Pittsburgh, dating back to the team’s pursuit of free agent veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

The Steelers signed Rodgers to upgrade their quarterback room from last season, as they limped into the NFL Playoffs with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as their two quarterbacks one year ago.

Rodgers did his part.

At 42, Rodgers completed 65 percent of his passes, throwing 24 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions.

But the end result was all too familiar for the Steelers.

The Steelers were defeated by the Houston Texans on their home turf, putting another dominant regular season in the rearview mirror without much else to celebrate.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has lost his seventh-consecutive postseason game despite never finishing a season below .500.

The Steelers have officially cracked the code on how to play football each January. But their last playoff victory was in 2016 against the Kansas City Chiefs, before they drafted Patrick Mahomes.

Down 7-6 at halftime, it felt like the Steelers were playing their brand of football during their Wild Card matchup with the Texans at Acrisure Stadium.

Pittsburgh had forced several turnovers. C.J. Stroud had thrown an interception and was sacked three times. It all felt set up for the Steelers to drag the Texans into a rock fight, just for something fluke to happen at the end.

After all, that’s how the Steelers made the NFL Playoffs in the first place.

In Week 18, Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missed a field goal that would’ve put Baltimore into the postseason instead.

But their luck ran all the way out at once.

The Texans dominated the entire second half.

Rodgers didn’t even finish the game, as he threw a pick six and was replaced by backup quarterback Mason Rudolph late in the fourth quarter, once the game was out of hand.

As you’d expect, Tomlin and Rodgers were both non-committal about their futures.

Rodgers expressed his belief that Tomlin should not be on the hot seat despite the lack of postseason success. But he refused to reveal any plans for next season.

Tomlin followed suit, refusing to dive into details about what next year will look like.

But it would be naive to believe that Monday’s game wasn’t a franchising-altering loss in some ways.

There has been a ton of smoke about Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh. While it feels unlikely that the Steelers would fire him, perhaps Tomlin is ready for a fresh start. Multiple reports have indicated that he could step off of the sideline and pursue a career on television as an analyst.

It’s hard to imagine Tomlin walking away.

But if he doesn’t, the Steelers are stuck in neutral.

They locked in the No. 21 overall draft pick for the second consecutive season. This is likely way too far back to select the organization’s next quarterback.

While it’s hard to imagine a major shake up in Pittsburgh, it feels like this is who they are. 

And that would lead anyone who understands the NFL to believe that it could finally be the dark end that the organization needed.

The Steelers notably didn't play "Renegade" by Styx during Monday night's exit from the postseason. Perhaps the jig is indeed up.