The Pittsburgh Steelers decided on a fresh start at the quarterback position for 2025. The team moved on from last season’s starters Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. But Pittsburgh didn’t replace the passers during free agency. Then, the Steelers took some heat for passing on Shedeur Sanders in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Ultimately, the Steelers passed on the Colorado standout three times – in the first, third and fourth rounds of the draft – before the Cleveland Browns finally selected Sanders in the fifth round.
The Steelers were viewed as the most likely landing spot for the quarterback if he slid past the passer-needy teams picking in the top 10. But Pittsburgh wasn’t interested and Sanders’ ensuing slide became the biggest storyline of the 2025 draft.
But why wasn’t Pittsburgh interested in Sanders? According to Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo, the answer is pretty straightforward. “They thought he was a good kid. It just didn’t match up with what they wanted in a quarterback,” Fittipaldo explained, per Steelers Depot.
The Steelers had Shedeur Sanders ranked outside the first 5 rounds
“The Steelers didn’t have a bad impression of him or anything like that… I think mostly it had to do with they didn’t have a grade on him in the first five rounds,” Fittipaldo added.
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Sanders was widely considered the second-best quarterback prospect in the 2025 draft class. So if the Steelers had him outside the first five rounds on their board, the team was clearly influenced by something unrelated to his ability to play football.
After the draft it was reported that the Steelers’ were split on Sanders, as the organization couldn’t reach a consensus on the passer. The differing opinions led to the team eschewing Sanders. At the time, Mason Rudolph was the only quarterback on Pittsburgh’s roster.
The Steelers, however, had their hearts set on acquiring future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. And, eventually, the team landed Rodgers on a one-year deal.
With longtime head coach Mike Tomlin under fire due to a playoff win drought dating back to 2016, the Steelers seemed intent on adding an established quarterback who could, in their opinion, have an immediate impact on the team’s postseason struggles.
Although there’s a great deal of debate over whether Rodgers can save the Steelers, the team wasn’t interested in turning the reins over to a rookie QB who would likely need multiple seasons to develop. Despite the goodwill built up during his remarkable run at the helm in Pittsburgh, Tomlin may not last multiple seasons without a playoff victory.
