Steelers Have Embarrassing Moment Come Back To Haunt Franchise In 2026

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the many teams in the NFL with some serious uncertainties at the quarterback position. This is an issue for the franchise year in and year out, and that has been the case ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. The organization did not have a proper succession plan for when Roethlisberger would retire, and the Steelers are still paying the price. Pittsburgh has had a different Week 1 starter in five consecutive seasons, although that streak might end in 2026 as it seems likely that Aaron Rodgers will return.

The Steelers have been in a frustrating stretch of going out and grabbing veteran quarterbacks to be the team's starter. In 2024, the veteran that was pursued in free agency was Russell Wilson, while Justin Fields was traded for and used as his backup after beginning the year as the starter. Pittsburgh then waited throughout the 2025 offseason for Rodgers to make up his mind on whether or not he wanted to sign with the Steelers, and the four-time league MVP finally signed by the time mandatory minicamp rolled around in June. The Steelers are now waiting on Rodgers once again, and the fan base is tired of the situation at quarterback.

The Steelers may not be in their current situation at the position had it not been for the 2022 NFL Draft. The Steelers selected Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick, and it was quite clear that the selection was a reach out of desperation. Pickett did not work out and was traded after two seasons, and the Steelers missed out on considerable talent by making this mistake. NFL reporter Albert Breer spoke about the 2022 NFL Draft in a recent mailbag.

"You have Jameson Williams, Jordan Davis and George Karlaftis on their original teams with solid deals that are well below the top of the market at their positions," Breer wrote. "And Zion Johnson, Quay Walker and Devin Lloyd have solid deals with new teams after playing out their rookie deals, having their fifth-year options declined and cashing in during free agency last month."

Breer wrote about some of the higher-end picks in this draft and how they were paid near the top of the market. This includes players like Kyle Hamilton, Derek Stingley Jr., Sauce Gardner, Aidan Hutchinson, Charles Cross, and Tyler Smith. However, outside of those high-end talents that also include Tyler Linderbaum and Trent McDuffie, there are also players like the ones mentioned in the quote above who can be considered above-average starters.

The 2022 NFL Draft was the last draft that former general manager Kevin Colbert handled, and Omar Khan took over that role before the start of the 2022 season. It is worth noting that not a single pick from Pittsburgh's 2022 draft class got a second deal with the team, and every player is now off of the roster (not counting the undrafted Jaylen Warren). That is a recipe for disaster for any organization. The Steelers could not find value in a decent draft class, which Breer wrote more on.

"Finally, there’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, Ickey Ekwonu (who’s hurt), Drake London, Chris Olave and Devonte Wyatt on fifth-year options with the teams that drafted them—London, Olave and Wyatt could get deals this offseason—and Jermaine Johnson II is set to play out his fifth-year option after being traded from the Jets to the Titans," Breer wrote. "That’s 21 of the 32 either on top-end or second-tier deals, or in position to get one."

Breer wrote that 21 out of 32 players selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft have already received high-end deals or are in position to receive one. Pickett is obviously an outlier, and a large reason the Steelers have their issues today is because of the failure that was the 2022 NFL Draft.

Steelers Missed Out On Some Great Players In 2022

The Steelers were desperate for a quarterback after Roethlisberger retired which led to the selection of Pickett, although the organization was also scared to pass on another quarterback out of Pittsburgh. The franchise made that mistake with Dan Marino once and hasn't forgotten it since. By drafting Pickett, the Steelers technically passed on McDuffie, Smith, Linderbaum, and Lloyd. Pittsburgh has filled some of the holes at those respective positions since 2022, but the organization could have used any of those players at the time.

What do you think about the massive mistake that was the 2022 NFL Draft? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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