The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the teams in the NFL that have a horrendous situation going on at quarterback. Even if Aaron Rodgers does end up signing with the organization, there is no guarantee that it will work out, and he is still just a temporary Band-Aid at the position. The fan base wants to see the franchise make an effort to find the future of the position for Pittsburgh, which is what was expected by many during the 2025 NFL Draft. The Steelers had the chance to select some of the top quarterback prospects with the 21st overall pick, but the team decided to pass up on that opportunity.
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Steelers' Omar Khan shakes hands with Mike Tomlin during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh passed up on the premier names at quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the quarterback class was considered weak anyways. No prospect was considered a sure thing at the position, and the organization was still able to land the National Champion in Will Howard in the sixth round. The selection of Howard should be considered a steal, especially where/when he was taken, but there is a slim chance that he will be able to make a name for himself in Pittsburgh. No team should be relying on a sixth-round pick to contribute heavily.
Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke to various executives after the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft, and one executive spoke about Pittsburgh's approach at quarterback.
"They are meandering in the wilderness here, and they are going to continue to do that until there is somebody they like, and then they will draft him," The anonymous scout said. "They are doing what they do, and it has proven to work out pretty darn well for them on the whole. Could this year be rough? Would that be a bad thing? Probably not."
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has famously never had a non-winning season throughout his 18 years of being the head coach in Pittsburgh. His teams have consistently finished at least .500 or above, which means there have been a lot of playoff tickets punched. Where the fan base gets frustrated is the fact that the team is typically limping into the postseason to get embarrassed by a far superior team, which has been the case over the last five years or so.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during a tough game against the Ravens in 2024.
Pittsburgh has a good roster, but where the organization comes up short is at quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 season, and since then, the franchise has been completely lost at the position. Kenny Pickett was a failure of a first-round pick in Pittsburgh, and every other quarterback that has been brought in didn't have what it took, or was handled poorly. Another executive shared that this is concerning for the Steelers.
"They have overcome it for a number of reasons, but ultimately, it will be their downfall," Another executive said. "The guys they have drafted and signed to play with since Ben [Roethlisberger] suggest they might not be very good at evaluating the position."
The quarterback options in Pittsburgh have not been great since the retirement of Roethlisberger. The quarterback class in 2022 was extremely weak, yet the organization still opted to reach for Pickett with its first-round pick. The best quarterback from that draft class actually wound up being the last player picked in the event in Brock Purdy.
Steelers Have Struggled With Handling QB Position In Recent Years
The anonymous executive suggested that Pittsburgh does not know how to evaluate quarterbacks, and that might be true. The reach for Pickett shows that, as does the poor effort to develop him once he arrived in Pittsburgh. The same goes for Justin Fields. He played well during his starts at the beginning of the 2024 season, but Tomlin and the coaching staff decided to go with Russell Wilson. Fields wasn't comfortable after that move, and he left in free agency to join the New York Jets. It can be argued that it was the right coaching move as the Steelers skyrocketed to 10-3 with Wilson at the helm and the offense taking off. However, the unit collapsed to end the season with Fields never having another shot to start under center.
Matt Freed / AP Photo
Steelers' Russell Wilson and Justin Fields warming up before a game.
The fact of the matter is that Roethlisberger was already in place when Tomlin accepted the head coaching job in Pittsburgh. He is still in the middle of his first search for a franchise quarterback, and he has never had to develop a player like that. It is going to be an uphill battle, but hopefully Howard can turn into something or the Steelers can land somebody good during the 2026 NFL Draft.
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