When talking about Steelers mid-tier QB options, it comes down to two things
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in quarterback purgatory. There is no way around this fact after they look to completely re-sign an entire quarterback room for the second straight year. The question on everyone’s mind at this point is who are they going to sign?
Maybe they’ll re-sign Russell Wilson.
They could always go for Justin Fields.
How about someone like Daniel Jones?
Go big in free agency with someone like Sam Darnold?
We could talk about drafting a quarterback too…
In other words, the Steelers, and especially the fan base, are wide open as it pertains to ideas to fill the gaping void on the roster at the most important position in professional sports. There is only one issue in this scenario, and that’s the fact any of the above quarterbacks are not top tier talents. None are capable of truly transforming the Steelers from the above average team to the upper echelon.
No, the NFL has never had such a gaping hole between the haves and the have nots, and most Steelers fans see the team on the wrong side of that ledgers. So, without an earth-shattering trade for an elite quarterback, and those type of players don’t get traded away, the Steelers remain in this strange holding pattern.
With all that out of the way, the next question is who do they sign? Of the available quarterbacks who should be the next in line to quarterback the black-and-gold?
Every fan has their personal favorite in this race, but for me it comes down to two factors: Upside and Cost
If I’m being brutally honest, I don’t think any of the available options are going to turn the Steelers into a genuine Super Bowl contender. There are just too many holes on the roster outside of quarterback where just an above average quarterback could get the team to the big game.
With that said, finding the quarterback with the highest upside for the team should still be paramount in hopes of finding a player who could provide the type of play if/when the team builds the rest of the roster around them.
However, the most upside shouldn’t break the bank, especially in this current free agent climate and the upcoming NFL Draft class. I’ve been saying it throughout the entire article, but the key here is the Steelers not break the bank for any player. If the difference in upside is negligible, choose the cheaper option.
This is often the case when I see people debating Fields vs. Wilson, or most recently is Fields vs. Daniel Jones. If they are essentially the same player from a production standpoint, take the cheaper option. Use the extra funds you save at the quarterback position and build the roster so you are truly just a quarterback away…which the Steelers are not heading into 2025.
So, to wrap this up, when people talk about the quarterback options for the Steelers in 2025, who are all mid-tier options in my opinion, it comes down to those two factors: Upside and Cost. Use those two variables to help guide the decision at quarterback in hopes of a more promising future, not just at the position, but for the organization.
Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the start of the new league year in March.
More and more, I think drafting a QB, might be the best way to go and this statement is the reason why:
We could add “or allowed to leave in free agency”.
The bottom line is that the only way the Steelers are getting a top flight QB is to draft one. At this point, I don’t care if this is a weak draft class. Jalen Hurts was a 2nd round QB. Lamar Jackson might as well have been. Dak Prescott was a 4th. Brock Purdy was famously the last pick of the draft. It can happen.
Draft a QB and see what happens. Trade up if need be. If it doesn’t work out so what. Do it again next year if that’s the case. You aren’t winning anything with Daniel Jones or Justin Fields anyway.
I fear this kind of thinking.
This is the kind of thinking that brought us Kenny Pickett. QBs are frequently overvalued in the draft. In QB-weak drafts, they are massively overvalued. There is no way Jalen Hurts would have hit the second round in *this* draft. Purdy would probably remain an outlier, but drafts are not all the same, though team needs remain consistent, so in every draft, certain positions get overvalued.
As Jeff notes in his article, this team has a number of holes. Reaching to draft a QB makes it that much harder to fill those holes.
Find a solid stop-gap, draft a potential future QB in the later rounds, while adding a top level OG, DL, and CB in early rounds. Fill the holes, which can let a mid-level QB be enough and look for your QB for the future through development or reclamation or a stronger draft.
I agree. At the old site there was someone who kept insisting the Steelers had to draft a quarterback at 20 in 2022, regardless of how many were taken before they picked. The Steelers had their pick of anybody and Kenny Pickett still didn’t work out. You can’t operate in this way. Listing five QBs that were taken after pick 20 in the draft that it worked out sounds good, but it’s ignoring the hundreds that have been selected and it hasn’t. It’s one thing to miss on a fourth round quarterback, it’s something else to miss in the first.
My post wasn’t really meant to be taken completely literally but the drafting of Kenny Pickett is a perfect example of what I think that the Steelers should do. Yeah, Pickett didn’t work out but that doesn’t mean that it won’t work out next time and the Steelers shouldn’t do it again. I think that they should do it again….as many times as it takes.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying to spend a first round pick on an a QB every year. I am saying that taking Pickett in round 1, or Mason Rudolph in round 3, whatever, is completely logical when a team needs a QB. Again, the draft is the only place a true franchise QB will be found. As such, refusing to draft QBs is irrational. It has to be done.
Great point that you can’t make decisions on past outcomes. I think taking Pickett was the right play in the 2022.Sure they could have gone in another direction but taking the highest rated QB made sense.
I don’t disagree. I think it all comes down to how the draft plays out. Don’t force it, but if it’s there then do it. Pickett made sense in 2022 even though it didn’t work out. If a crazy run happened on bad QBs, settling for the likes of Matt Corral at 20 would not have made sense. YOu can’t go in with the attitude of “QB no matter what.” I’m for the Steelers grabbing a QB in the 3rd or 4th if they really like someone who is there. Just don’t do it for the sake of doing it regardless if you like the options or not.
“if it’s there do it” is exactly what I mean. If a Jalen Milroe is there in round 2 AND the Steelers legit think he has a shot at being the man then do it. If you don’t like what you see from him, even after only one year, then don’t be afraid to do it again next year. Never reach, but never limit your options either.
Here’s the thing, though. Everyone knew Pickett wouldn’t work out. It was regarded as an historically weak draft for Quarterbacks, and many analysts said Pickett would have gotten a 3rd or 4th round grade in an average year.
Yes, your best hope for a franchise QB is in the draft, but you aren’t going to find your franchise QB by reaching, either, you’re just going to set yourself up for failure because you keep spending high picks on QBs who can’t cut it and find yourself in the same situation the next year — without the offensive linemen and defensive linemen and corner backs you need around the QB because you keep spending draft capital on guys who aren’t going to work out.
I’m fine with spending the less precious capital, like 3rd and 4th round on QBs, trying to find a guy you can coach up. But you have to hit on your first couple of rounds, so reaching to draft guys who aren’t worth the draft capital sets you up for failure.
Build the team, find decent stopgap QBs while you try to find that diamond in the rough. Don’t keep reaching, or you will be spending first rounders every year while the rest of the team can’t support the QB even if you do find a good one. Welcome to Cleveland.
Man I totally agree! I’d even take it a step further and keep drafting QB’s to develop after I’ve already landed my next franchise guy. If you can land a Purdy type and develop him into a guy that looks like he could start, you have currency, and options.
I like the idea of getting a cheap free agent (I think Fields might be the cheapest option) and also looking to draft someone who would not have to play right away (drafting somewhere in the mid rounds). I feel it’s the only way to cover the time right in front of us, as well as taking a shot at the future as well. It’s the proverbial don’t put all your eggs in one basket (especially with the current cost of eggs). Look no further than our own division and what can happen (Browns) when the QB position is handled poorly.
Everyone knows I want Jones. Fields is a close second for me. (Like the horse race where the horse stuck his tongue out to win kind of close.) These guys both fit the bill of cheap (probably in the teens) and stopgap with possible upside. You’re right. There is no perfect option out there. They’re going to draft someone either this year or next. Maybe both.
Rooney said they want to have QBs with the same skillset. With Jones and Fields, the skillset is being a QB and a good runner.
That puts the fear into me that they’ll draft Milroe, but I’d rather see them chance a pick on Howard or Leonard. I think Dart will be gone. Either way it may be a tough stretch for fans over the next few years. I’m okay with that. Experiment. Bring guys in. See how they fit. You haven’t won playoff games, so all you have to lose is the fact that you’ve been getting to the playoffs with some consistency. You either gain better play or better draft picks.
I thought I was the only Jones apologist. I don’t know why I think so, but I think he is capable of being a good QB in the league.
I don’t pretend that this is likely but for some reason …
You’re definitely not alone. I was on some Steelers content streams yesterday… There are plenty of people who want to give Jones a shot.
And they all seem to use the handle “SteelerFanMaintenanceMan” 🤣🤣🤣
I would have no issue with them bringing Jones in but, like I mentioned in a post yesterday, he has played in 70 NFL games now. There really are no good reasons to think he will “find it” in his 71st game. The Steelers have only failed at developing QBs over the past few years and there is no reason to think that they’ll suddenly do so with Jones.
I don’t get emails alerting me that there’s a reply to a comment I’ve posted. Is this a me problem, and if so, how do I fix it?
Oh, I agree with you Jeff.
I’m working hard on getting some questions answered about the commenting system. Hoping to have that this weekend.