Thursday, January 30, 2025, 4:14AM |  36°
MENU
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) and Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) embrace after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
2
MORE

Steelers officially in the market, but QB names don't exactly jump off the page

AP

Steelers officially in the market, but QB names don't exactly jump off the page

Sam Darnold? Jalen Milroe? Signal callers outside the organization aren't a slam dunk, either

A season’s end always calls for reflection, and the 2024 Steelers are no different. With that in mind, it might be worth revisiting offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s comments from the week Mike Tomlin pivoted from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson at quarterback.

Specifically, Smith was asked what he felt like Wilson could do to make the offense better.

“Well, I don't know if that's necessarily the perspective,” Smith said. “I understand the question. ... I think Justin has done a good job. By no means has anybody been perfect around here, but it's about winning. We wish we were 6-0. We're not. You are what your record says you are, so we're 4-2.”

Advertisement

And later in that same news conference ...

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stands on the fields during a time out while playing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pa. The Philadelphia Eagles won 27-13.
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: Steelers, Mike Tomlin missed a golden opportunity when the Chicago Bears called about a trade

“I think his confidence should be high,” Smith said of Fields. “He's 4-2. He's been pretty productive. So whatever Mike [Tomlin] tells us to do, like I said, I’ll have it ready either way. That's my job.”

Assuming Smith is back for a second season as the play caller, perhaps he’ll throw his weight behind what he can do with Fields. That’d be a simple answer to the Steelers’ quarterback predicament, which is that neither Fields nor Russell Wilson is under contract for 2025.

But if it’s more complex than that, the Steelers will need to do what they did this time a year ago and survey the quarterback landscape. That includes the draft, free agency and the trade market. Tomlin was open on Tuesday that he and general manager Omar Khan will be blocking off some time this week to begin looking at their options. We might as well do the same thing here:

Advertisement

Draft

Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are widely viewed as the top two quarterbacks in this class at this point, a la Caleb Williams/Jayden Daniels last year or Bryce Young/C.J. Stroud the year prior. But there’s not likely to be a Drake Maye or Anthony Richardson behind them, putting this group somewhere between the past two drafts and that 2022 one in which Kenny Pickett led the way.

The next tier of quarterbacks includes the likes of Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Texas’ Quinn Ewers. It’s early to predict whether one or any would be available to the Steelers at the 21st overall pick.

Then you’ll have the less heralded prospects who improved their stock this season, such as Ohio State’s Will Howard and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, matching up in the national championship next week. It does not appear to be a good year to find an instant-impact starter and maybe not even an eventual franchise quarterback, at least not if you’re picking outside the top 10.

Free agency

All things considered, the intrigue here could be even worse than the draft. Without knowing who will become a cap casualty at the position, the 2025 class of quarterback free agents is headlined by Sam Darnold, Jameis Winston and Daniel Jones.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin reacts with safety Damontae Kazee (23) before an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Orchard Park, NY.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WATCH: Would Steelers defense really change if Teryl Austin was fired but Mike Tomlin remained?

Late-career veterans such as Joe Flacco, Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo will be available, as they almost always are. Mid-career backups such as Mason Rudolph, Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, Drew Lock and Tyler Huntley are set to be out there, too.

Barring any surprise cuts, it’s enough to make you think Fields and Wilson will be the belles of the ball. And the dearth of options might drive up their asking price, too.

Trade

Don’t even entertain the notion of a Trevor Lawrence or Kyler Murray, both of whom have massive contracts committed to them that would leave their franchises in dire salary cap straits. Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins aren’t quite as cost-prohibitive to move on from, but at this point, an interested suitor might just be better off waiting for their teams to release them.

There’s also the reclamation project route, which they took last offseason with Fields. Will Levis figures to be done in Tennessee after two rocky seasons. The Colts and 2023 No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson have not been a good match, though that’s in large part his own doing.

A savvier and more affordable move would be to scour depth charts for talent blocked by their current circumstances, then bring that player in and give him a chance to compete in Pittsburgh, whatever that looks like. Malik Willis, whom the Steelers studied extensively in the 2022 pre-draft process, was much improved from his Titans stint when he started two games for the Packers this season, but he’s stuck behind Jordan Love.

Tanner McKee is the third-stringer in Philadelphia behind Jalen Hurts and Pickett, yet he lit up the Giants and Cowboys in limited action at the end of the season. And Joe Milton, a sixth-round pick in this past draft, made some jaw-dropping plays for the Patriots in Week 18 but won’t be unseating Drake Maye.

They’re all flawed players, of course, but the Steelers have had a flawed quarterback situation more often than not over the past five years. Now they’re back up to the plate, and the whole league is wondering how big of a swing they’ll take.

First Published: January 16, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: January 17, 2025, 1:27 p.m.

RELATED
Jordan Akins #88 of the Cleveland Browns runs with the ball against Minkah Fitzpatrick #39 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter in the game at Huntington Bank Field on November 21, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Paul Zeise
Paul Zeise's mailbag: Should the Steelers move Minkah Fitzpatrick to linebacker?
Donte Jackson #26, Minkah Fitzpatrick #39, and Damontae Kazee #23 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warm up before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 15, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ray Fittipaldo
Let's plan the Steelers' 2025 offseason: Cut, trade or keep
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) looks to pass to his running back against Texas A&M during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in College Station, Texas.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Paul Zeise Live: Should Steelers consider any outside QBs for 2025 through NFL draft, free agency?
Quarterback Kenny Pickett, left, the Pittsburgh Steelers first-round NFL football draft pick, poses for a photo with president/owner Art Rooney II at the team's training facility in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 29, 2022.
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: Steelers offense in disrepair thanks to series of misguided, arrogant decisions
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) after Samuel scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of an NFL wild card playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Gerry Dulac
Gerry Dulac's NFL playoffs picks: Divisional round
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks on before a game against the Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
Brian Batko
Brian Batko’s Steelers mailbag: With Mike Tomlin staying, what should the front office do now?
T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on as the Baltimore Ravens huddle during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jason Mackey
Jason Mackey’s mailbag: Has Pittsburgh sports reached its lowest point since the early 1980s?
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, is pressured by Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Baltimore.
Adam Bittner
Football betting trends: Be wary of big spreads in NFL playoffs' divisional round?
SHOW COMMENTS (189)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waits on deck in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 6, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1
sports
The Pirates surveyed fans about their relationship with the franchise. It didn't go well
A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
2
news
Passenger jet collides with Army helicopter while landing at Reagan Washington National Airport
Ross Park Mall announces new retail and dining offerings in 2025.
3
business
These new retail and dining options are coming to Ross Park Mall in 2025
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick slammed Mayor Ed Gainey's refusal to cooperate with federal immigration agents in a growing battle between Republicans in Washington and local Democratic officials over President Donald Trump's hardline deportation policies.
4
news
McCormick presses Gainey to ‘follow the law’ as Trump deportation plans play out
Beatrice and Jose Tecuanhuehue, owners of Tienda Mexicana El Pastorcito in Monroeville, Taqueria el Pastorcito restaurant in New Kensington and a mobile food trailer.
5
local
'It’s scary': Uncertainty over immigration policy impacts Pittsburgh’s Hispanic food community
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) and Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) embrace after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Pittsburgh.  (AP)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.  (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
AP
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story