Steelers Tabbed as Dream Landing Spot for Rising QB
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in perplexing quarterback situation right now. If Aaron Rodgers ends up retiring, the Steelers would be left with only Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson as their quarterbacks.
The free agent quarterback market is pretty dried up now, too, so the Steelers might have to turn to the draft. Could the Steelers trade up for highly-touted Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders? Matt Miller of ESPN isn’t ruling out that scenario.
“Can we rule out the Pittsburgh Steelers? Miller said on ESPN’s NFL Live. “I remember not that long ago, Pittsburgh traded up to 10 (overall) to take an inside linebacker. Pittsburgh will be aggressive at times. Now going from 21 (overall) to 4, it’s going to be expensive. That’s gonna be costly. Mike Tomlin has his team in the playoffs every year, right? If you view this as this is an inexpensive year to move up the board. We love Shedeur. (He) can walk right into this building. He can be that option for us with these two big receivers on the outside, a pretty good run game. I think Pittsburgh would be a team that you would have to keep your eye on. Cam Heyward just said it, ‘This is the Pittsburgh Steelers, we’re in this thing every year.’ For Shedeur Sanders, that’s a dream landing spot because of what they have on defense and those two big playmaking wide receivers that they have.”
In former NFL general manager Mike Tannebaum’s latest mock draft, he has the Steelers trading with the Chicago Bears to move up from pick No. 21 to No. 10 to select Sanders.
“Yes, the Steelers still haven’t signed a starting quarterback. Aaron Rodgers met with the team late last week, but signing him would address only the short term. He’s 41 years old. And as of now, Rodgers is still unsigned — we can’t assume he will definitely come to Pittsburgh,” Tannebaum wrote. “Mason Rudolph is currently the QB1. So, I’m making the move to add Sanders. He is incredibly tough, can make all the throws, processes reads quickly in the pocket and delivers accurate balls. He lacks high-end mobility but still shows good pocket movement traits.”
Sanders, 23, is viewed as the second best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, only behind Miami’s Cam Ward. But it remains to be seen where he will go. Some believe he could go as high as No. 2 and others think he could fall out of the first round entirely.
However, the latter feels very unlikely, especially after throwing for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over the past two years at Colorado.
Sanders also has NFL bloodlines as the son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. That is something the quarterback-needy Steelers have looked for in the past, but it’s unlikely they’ll be willing to pay the steep price it will take to move up into the top 10.
Pittsburgh also seems to be Rodgers’ only option, outside of retirement, after quarterback Russell Wilson joined the New York Giants on a one-year deal on Tuesday night.
If Rodgers finally ends the wait and chooses to join the Steelers, it will likely take them out of first-round quarterback contention, or at least a trade up. And it’s safe to assume Sanders will be long gone by the time Pittsburgh is on the clock.
Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.