Report: Steelers Tender Contract to RFA QB Dwayne Haskins

The Pittsburgh Steelers have place a contract tender on potential restricted free agent Dwayne Haskins for the 2022 season, according to a report by Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said he expected that the team would tender Haskins in his pre-combine press conference in February. Colbert said he expected Haskins to provide competition and depth to the team’s quarterbacks room.

“Dwayne Haskins came in, did some nice things throughout the season as a scout team quarterback, played some throughout the preseason, and we’re excited to see what Dwayne can provide, from competition, or maybe he evolves as a starter,” Colbert said. “None of us know at this point.”

The tender is an original-round tender, which means it will be valued at $2.54 million for the 2022 season. Haskins remains free to negotiate with another team, but the Steelers have right of first refusal and would get a first-round pick in compensation should another team sign away Haskins.

Haskins can sign the tender and play for the Steelers under that contract in 2022, or the two sides can negotiate a different contract length or amount.

Haskins is the second quarterback to officially have his rights retained by the Steelers for the 2022 season, joining current presumptive starter Mason Rudolph. Fellow backup Joshua Dobbs is a pending unrestricted free agent.

The Steelers have also been connected to several trade and free agent options at quarterback and have been heavily scouting the position in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Haskins, 24, was originally a first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 2019 out of Ohio State. He played in 16 games with Washington over two seasons, making 13 starts. Haskins threw for 2,804 yards, completing 60.1% of his passes and maintained a 74.4 passer rating. He had a 3-10 record as a starting quarterback and was released after just two seasons.

In 2021, the Steelers signed Haskins in January, intending to sit him behind Rudolph and Ben Roethlisberger and let the talented former Buckeyes passer acclimate to the NFL with a more stable franchise quarterback situation.

Haskins was named the team’s third-string quarterback when Dobbs suffered a toe injury late in training camp. He was made active for just one game, when Roethlisberger missed the game against the Detroit Lions with COVID-19, but Haskins did not enter the game.