With the 2025 NFL Draft set to kick off next week, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have the right to question: What is this organization doing? After general manager Omar Khan and the front office were ridiculed during the 2024 offseason for trading Diontae Johnson and not filling the hole at wide receiver, the Steelers finally traded for DK Metcalf early in the 2025 offseason.
But this preemptive move came with the assumption that the Steelers would be a competitive team in 2025. So far, that doesn't appear to be the case.
During free agency, Pittsburgh let roughly a half-dozen starters walk away and sign with new teams while doing the bare minimum to cover their bases and fill their roster gaps. Now the Steelers are sitting in limbo on the cusp of the draft with just six selections this April to magically solve their roster woes.
And the worst part of all is that they don't have a competent quarterback.
The Steelers are going to add a body or two at the quarterback position. One of these players is almost guaranteed to come in the 2025 NFL Draft. But their win-now mentality isn't going to pan out if they don't have a quarterback who can get them over the hump, and right now, the odds of getting one are looking slim.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to put the focus on the future (not the present)
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for a 27-year-old DK Metcalf and handed him $30 million per season, it was with the assumption that they would have a quarterback who could get him the ball and take the offense to the next level. The hope all along has been for Aaron Rodgers to sign with the team, but that might not happen.
In hindsight, the Metcalf trade looks regrettable for a team that may not be able to compete in the playoffs right away. Between the money and draft capital spent on the Pro Bowl receiver, the Steelers could have looked ahead to a move that would benefit their future, not the present.
But we know that's just not how Mike Tomlin, Art Rooney II and this team operate.
It's all about keeping their head above water and making efforts to win now, not rebuilding a roster that will create lasting success. While they might have been able to get away with this (at least enough to snap the eight-year drought without a playoff win), all of their plans will be foiled if they can't find a respectable quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers is the last remaining respectable stop-gap option who can help them win now. However, the Steelers may not have the patience to wait for him to sign. In the NFL Draft, the Steelers could be forced to make a move for a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders. There's no guarantee that a rookie could come in and help them get to the playoffs right away, but it's better than the current alternatives.
You can talk yourselves into believing that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a talented enough roster to compete in the regular season, but it's a fool's hope to believe they will find postseason success if it's Mason Rudolph who's at the helm in 2025. Tomlin's win-now philosophy won't pan out if this team doesn't have a quarterback.
