PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of uncertainty at quarterback heading into 2025. Head coach Mike Tomlin says the team will not let any stone left unturned this offseason.
On Tuesday, Tomlin acknowledged that while the Steelers are thankful for what quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen brought to the team this year, none are guaranteed a spot back on the roster next season.
“Obviously, we don’t have a quarterback under contract, and so, we’ve got some major discussions there,” Tomlin said. “It was a really good experience with the three quarterbacks that were on our roster this year, individually and collectively. We are certainly open to considering those guys, but there’s a lot of work ahead of us.”
Wilson has already expressed his interest in returning to play for the Steelers and a recent report says they interested in bringing back Fields.
However, the NFL offseason always has some tricks up its sleeve. So Tomlin and the Steelers brass want to see who becomes available before committing to anybody.
“The major work, obviously, starts first and foremost with understanding what our options are,” Tomlin said. “What the field looks like in terms of free agency or what the draft pool looks like.”
The Steelers are in quarterback purgatory. That’s why many believe it may take a bad year to have a high enough draft pick to find their next franchise quarterback.
Tomlin does not agree with that sentiment, though.
“Lamar (Jackson) wasn’t taken at the top of the draft,” Tomlin said. “(Jalen) Hurts wasn’t taken in the first round.”
Tomlin has a point. Jackson was selected at pick No. 32 and Hurts was a second-round pick (No. 53 overall).
There is the option of trading up in the first round as well. The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017 and then the Buffalo Bills did the same in 2018 to draft Josh Allen.
The Steelers could also look for a team willing to move off their veteran quarterback. The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams swapped quarterbacks Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford in a 2021 trade.
Of course, those are all success stories and those type of moves don’t have a 100 percent success rate, but the Steelers need to do something different at quarterback. First the first time in a while, Tomlin seems to be willing to do just that.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.