Steelers' Potential For Unexpected Solution At Quarterback May Have Just Disappeared

The Pittsburgh Steelers have truly begun the full reset of the franchise, ever since former head coach Mike Tomlin decided to step down. Tomlin's decision triggered a cascade effect that will likely mean multiple Steelers veterans finding their way out, or attempting to try and leave the team. Most notably out of the veterans, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers may likely be one of those players that ends up leaving, despite the support for returning that he has throughout the building. If Rodgers does end up leaving, the Steelers' options at quarterback for the 2026 season may have just potentially gotten a lot smaller.

The Steelers have been monitoring the options at quarterback while the head-coaching search continues, with one of these options at quarterback being to resign Rodgers and make another run at the playoffs with him and the majority of the current offense. 

However, one of the replacement options at quarterback have likely disappeared with the latest news to come out of the Miami Dolphins front office, with regards to their recent hires from the Green Bay Packers front office. 

The Dolphins just recently hired the former Packers defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, to be their head coach, along with hiring former Packers personnel man Jon-Eric Sullivan to be their general manager. On top of this, the Dolphins are also in need of a quarterback, just like the Steelers are, and by hiring two former members of the Packers staff, they could be setting their sights on a quarterback that the Steelers could have also been targeting in case they decided to move on from Rodgers.

Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis was forced to play in multiple games this season, and in those games, Willis had some flashes that could have potentially put him on the radars of multiple teams, one of which could have been the Steelers. Now that the Dolphins have signed former Packers coaching staff and front office members to form their own front office, the Dolphins could potentially give Willis a thorough look to be their starting quarterback, should they move on from current quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

If the Steelers had any ideas of potentially acquiring Willis for themselves in the case that Rodgers decides to leave, their odds at acquiring him have taken a major hit. Even though the Steelers have dedicated most of their time to figuring out who the next head coach of the franchise is, they still have to figure out what the solution is going to be at quarterback at some point before the new season rolls around. Bringing Rodgers back seems to be what the players would prefer, but in terms of what direction a new head coach would want to take the franchise, they could potentially want a younger option. 

The Dolphins will have plenty of insight onto current and former Packers players, insight that the Steelers' front office will not have. No matter what the Steelers decide to do at quarterback, if they were hoping to get younger at the position through bringing in an outside player, their options will have likely gone down in number with how Willis will get an extensive look by the Dolphins. However, most importantly, like their current endeavors at searching for the next head coach, the Steelers need to take the same approach with the starting quarterback of the future.

Steelers Need To Be Patient With Quarterback Search

The team's direction as a whole may involve getting younger. This would also be the best approach for the Steelers, but they also need to be patient with the process. They've got a great option in-house already, that being Will Howard, but the team may not want to entrust him with the offense this soon. No matter what direction they decide to go, it appears that at least one option in Willis is likely gone.

Who do you think the Steelers should roll out as starting quarterback next season? Let us know in the comments below.

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