Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison thinks the Steelers need a down year in order to get back to contending. Similar to how the New England Patriots had back-to-back 4-13 seasons and landed star quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 overall in 2024.
The Steelers have lost in the Wild Card round in five of the last six years, which means they usually pick in the low 20s. The chances of landing a franchise quarterback that late are pretty slim.
“This is a rebuild,” Harrison said on his Deebo & Joe podcast on Friday. “Period. I know the Steelers don’t want to say that or don’t want to believe that. If you don’t want to say it because it sounds bad, but if you actually believe it, that’s worse.
“Because the reality of it is that we have to actually rebuild this thing. We are going to have to have, and I call it this, a first or second pick losing season if we want to get a franchise quarterback.”
The Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. And last week, team president Art Rooney II made it clear the Steelers will always try to contend.
“I’m not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend,” Rooney said. “Obviously, your roster is what it is every year. It changes every year, so you deal with what you have every year and try to put yourself in a position to compete every year. Sometimes you have the horses, sometimes you don’t. But I think you try every year.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: James Harrison Wants Steelers to Hit Rock Bottom: ‘This Is a Rebuild’
