Steelers Now
ESPN insider Dan Graziano reveals the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t like any of the quarterback options this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be all in on free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but ESPN insider Dan Graziano doesn’t think that’s necessarily the case. In fact, he thinks the Steelers are just fine with taking whatever is left over, whether that’s Aaron Rodgers or someone else.
“I think if you got the Steelers and you gave them truth serum, what they would tell you is, ‘We didn’t really like any of the options that were available at quarterback this offseason, including Aaron Rodgers,'” Graziano said on ESPN Radio. “They didn’t feel like spending more on Justin Fields than the Jets did. They didn’t feel like bringing Russell Wilson back. They didn’t feel, for whatever reason, like playing on Sam Darnold in free agency or drafting a quarterback in the first five rounds.”
Pittsburgh did want Fields back, and considered him its first choice to be the team’s quarterback for 2025. However, the Steelers were unwilling to give him a similar financial commitment as the Jets were after benching him for Wilson.
Wilson, on the other hand, was willing to work out a deal with Pittsburgh but that become more and more unlikely as reports surfaced that he and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith butted heads over changing plays at the line of scrimmage.
That left Darnold, who got a massive three-year, $100.5 million contract from the Seattle Seahawks, and the 2025 NFL Draft, which was widely viewed as having a weak quarterback class.
So the Steelers settled for a reunion with quarterback Mason Rudolph while remaining hopeful they will still add Rodgers to the room as well.
Graziano believes they aren’t sweating it if that doesn’t happen, though.
“I think around the time of the draft, I got the sense the Steelers were looking at the next two drafts, the one that just happened and the one next year, as possibly a better option for addressing their long-term quarterback situation,” Graziano said. “So, I think if Aaron Rodgers shows up, they’re fine with it. If he doesn’t show up, they’re fine with it. They don’t feel like they’re sitting here waiting for Patrick Mahomes to make a decision. Aaron Rodgers is 41 years old, wasn’t very good last year, and you’re not getting the MVP-caliber dude at this point of his career.”
It may not be what fans want to hear but it seems Pittsburgh is just looking for the cheapest bridge quarterback it can find as it prepares to land the future of its franchise next year.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Insider: Steelers Didn’t Like Any QB Options this Offseason
