Steelers Now
A former AFC North rival has a surprising take for the Pittsburgh Steelers answer at quarterback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been searching for their next franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement at the end of the 2021 season. However, one of their former AFC North rivals believes he has the answer to their problem.
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh thinks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Baker Mayfield could be the Steelers’ answer at quarterback next season.
“You look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, if they don’t have a great year, and they’re going to have a good year, I don’t know if they’ll have a great year to where they’ll be able to draft a guy,” Houshmandzadeh said on his Up on Game podcast. “Baker would fit in with the Steelers. He’d go slot right in there and be their quarterback.”
Mayfield, 31, is still under contract with the Buccaneers through the 2026 season, but his future with the team is very much up in the air since putting a deadline on executing a new deal.
Meanwhile, the Steelers will likely be searching for their starter once again next offseason after quarterback Aaron Rodgers announced the 2026 season will be his last.
Mayfield could very well end up returning to the Buccaneers next season, but if that isn’t the case, he could provide the best quarterback play the Steelers have had since Roethlisberger.
Last season, he threw for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also threw for at least 4,000 yards during each of the two campaigns before that, including a career-best 4,500 in 2024.
The Steelers do have two intriguing in-house options in 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar. But both players still have a lot to prove while Mayfield would be an easy plug-and-play starter with several years likely still ahead of him in the league.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield has thrown for 28,525 yards, 197 touchdowns and 101 interceptions in his professional career. He also led Cleveland to a 48-37 Wild Card road playoff win in Pittsburgh in 2021.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Ex-AFC North Rival Has Answer For Steelers QB Problem
