The Pittsburgh Steelers have been desperate to fix their quarterback situation ever since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger following the 2021 season. The search for the next quarterback began with Kenny Pickett, but he never quite lived up to his first-round label and he was traded during the 2024 offseason. Going into the 2025 season, the organization signed Russell Wilson and then traded for Justin Fields, and both quarterbacks started games for the Steelers. It is expected that one of those players will be brought back, and possibly be paired with a rookie.
While it is likely that either Wilson or Fields will be the starter in 2025, the organization still needs to find a permanent solution at quarterback. It is extremely hard to be competitive in the NFL without a top-tier franchise quarterback, and Pittsburgh needs to find theirs. The temporary solutions will not get the organization anywhere. Kay Adams spoke about this on her show Thursday. She was discussing the possibility of Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, or Kirk Cousins being the next quarterback in Pittsburgh, when she suggested the Steelers could look to add a rookie.
"You're still talking about a temporary, go all-in solution," Adams said. "I don't hate that, but do we see Omar Khan grab one of these guys and then also fall in love with one of these quarterback prospects enough to move up from 21? I don't think that's crazy. Khan got really creative last year, he traded for Fields, he grabbed Russell, I feel like the Steelers are going to leave no stones left unturned. They know they have to solidify this if they want to start pushing for a seventh Lombardi."
The 2025 NFL Draft is not considered to be deep at the quarterback position. There are only two quarterbacks that seem to be locks to go in the first round, and that would be Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Ward is seen as the potential number one overall pick, while Sanders should go in the top-10. The third quarterback off of the board could be Jaxson Dart, but that will likely come on Day 2, or even Day 3.
The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants have the first three picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. All three of those teams are in need of a quarterback. It should be safe to assume that Ward will go somewhere in those first three picks, and Sanders likely will too. However there is some top-tier talent in the draft, and teams could pass up on a quarterback to grab Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter.
If Sanders begins to slide down the draft board, it isn't out of the realm of possibility to think Pittsburgh might consider moving up in the draft. The only other teams picking ahead of the Steelers that need a quarterback are the Las Vegas Raiders with the sixth overall pick and the New York Jets with the seventh overall pick. If Sanders somehow slides past them, Pittsburgh might not even have to move up, but if the organization wanted a realistic shot at the polarizing quarterback, they may need to move into the top-five.
Steelers' Omar Khan Has Moved Up In The First Round Before
General Manager Omar Khan only has two drafts under his belt in his current role, but he has already made some daring moves. In his first draft in 2023, he traded up in the first round to select Broderick Jones. Pittsburgh originally had the 17th overall pick, but traded with the New England Patriots for the 14th pick. Pittsburgh gave up just pick 17 and pick 120 in the draft to move up, but the price would likely be much more if Khan wanted to be put in a position to find himself a franchise quarterback.
