The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the 2025 NFL offseason needing to find an answer at the quarterback position.
Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are set to hit free agency. Fields seems more likely to be re-signed than Wilson, but there are still questions about how comfortable the Steelers would be committing to Fields as their starter.
That being said, a new projection has been made that would see Pittsburgh taking a huge swing on a new starting quarterback in NFL free agency.
Henry McKenna of FOX Sports has projected that the Steelers will end up signing Sam Darnold.
"There aren't many places where I'd get excited about Darnold's prospects. But Pittsburgh is one of them. For all the complaining about Mike Tomlin's spot in 10-win purgatory, he is doing something remarkable," McKenna wrote.
He continued forward, stating that he thinks Darnold would be able to take the team deep into the postseason.
"This isn't Jeff Fisher. It's almost impossible to have sustained success in the way Tomlin is doing it. And he did a much-overlooked job of getting to double-digit wins with a QB who looked like a total bust (Justin Fields) and another who looked totally washed (Russell Wilson). I think Darnold is better than both of those guys. He could get this team deep into the postseason."
Darnold is one of the top players available this offseason. He is expected to receive a hefty new contract from whoever signs him.
Spotrac currently has his next deal projected to be around four years and just under $160.5 million.
Darnold is fresh off of a monstrous season with the Minnesota Vikings. He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh actually does show interest in Darnold. With their need for a quarterback, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Steelers would show interest.
