Steelers Now May Have Chance To Select Future Of The Franchise In 2026 NFL Draft After Shocking Development

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been connected to nearly every reputable quarterback that could hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. The due diligence done by the organization suggests that it will select a signal-caller at some point, but it's anybody's guess as to which one and when. If the decision is made to reach in the first round, then the franchise will have to give that player at least a couple of years before going in a different direction. That would most likely rule out the team from drafting one next year in 2026.

There are plenty of questions with the 2025 class, but the 2026 group is expected to be a more promising collective. Players like Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava and Drew Allar are a few name while some others are going to be in the first-round conversation. It's hard for the Steelers to land a top prospect without a massive trade up each and every year because of Head Coach Mike Tomlin's consistency and inability to finish below .500.

Starting quarterbacks don't grow on trees and this has made it tough for Pittsburgh in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era to find a one or two-decade starter. It's expected that the front office will have to negotiate a big move up the board in 2026, and maybe even this year in 2025, to find the future at the position, but if General Manager Omar Khan holds off in a little over a week's time, it could pay dividends.

The college football scene was hit with shocking news recently about Iamaleava, who has entered the transfer portal after the University of Tennessee refused to meet a number of roughly $4 million. NFL insider Dianna Russini said on an episode of Scoop City that NFL teams are already noticing the decisions made by Iamaleava and his camp. Russini didn't mention it, but this could find a way to affect his future draft stock.

"Turning down more money to stay [at Tennessee] tells something to teams versus making it about you and making yourself bigger than the team," Russini said. "Whether you like that or not, that is the reality. NFL teams are watching that."

Russini noted on X that people from the NFL world have told her that this is something that is absolutely being looked at. Iamaleava could have a standout final collegiate season and it not matter, or he could play just okay and this could be looked back on in a year's time. If the Steelers are picking in the 20s again, it could make it much easier to draft the talented quarterback.

Make no mistake about it, the Steelers will most likely draft a quarterback in 2025. This could rule out one in 2026 depending on the circumstances, but if a signal-caller is chosen in the mid-to-late rounds next week in Green Bay, all bets are off for next year. If there are already murmurs about Iamaleava going on in the NFL world, it could directly correlate to his draft stock when going through the process in the new year.

Some teams may not look at his recent decision to leave Tennessee as a problem, but others might. It could all depend on how the draft board falls. It's hard to look ahead to 2026 with the big weekend in 2025 just around the corner, but the prospect of Iamaleava could directly benefit the Steelers. There is no doubt that Pittsburgh's decision-makers will be keeping an eye on the situation.

Steelers Will Be Stuck In Mediocrity Without Permanent Quarterback Solution

Using a bandaid to resolve a situation with a team's signal-caller is never going to work in the modern-day NFL. Pittsburgh is currently stuck in that exact cycle. This could pressure the organization to select a quarterback in 2025, which may be the wrong decision. Aaron Rodgers' decision still looming is causing some significant and unnecessary stress in the Steel City.

Do you think that Iamaleava's recent departure from Tennessee will affect how NFL teams look at him in 2026? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation