The Steelers QB Situation is Entering Dumpster Fire Status
This morning, Dianna Russini reported that, among other things, Justin Fields is expected to test the market in free agency, which gives me the impression that he and the Steelers aren’t close to a deal at this point. In the post, she is also claiming that Sam Darnold is expected to sign with the Seahawks (who recently traded Geno Smith to the Raiders), the Vikings are attempting to work on a deal with Daniel Jones, and they’re also going to work with Aaron Rodgers if a deal with Jones doesn’t happen.
The legal tampering period begins on Monday at noon EST, so we figure to get confirmation on all of these things in the early part of next week, which brings me to Pittsburgh….what the fuck are we doing?
Here’s the thing…it is not in the Pittsburgh Steelers best interest to overpay Justin Fields, especially not on a long term deal. It’s also not in his best interest to sign a short, mid-range kinda deal with the Steelers without seeing which other teams are interested and what they might be offering. So, nothing about what Dianna Russini is saying necessarily shocks me or makes me feel any differently about our QB situation than I did before that information was put out. It’s also worth noting that outside of Sam Darnold (who is going to command a lot of money in free agency), and Justin Fields, I’m not moved by the names that she’s reporting on. Daniel Jones is never going to be a needle-mover, and Aaron Rodgers comes with (I assume) a large price tag, and all the drama that comes with having him on your squad.
So, here we are. We’ve kicked the QB can down the road yet again, and now we’re set to enter free agency without a real QB under contract. How is Omar Khan expecting to get anyone to sign with the Steelers without ANY QBs? Also….you mean to tell me that Geno Smith could’ve been had for a third-round pick? It’s clear to me that the Steelers aren’t interested in blowing this core up, and they intend to try and compete for a playoff spot in 2025. With that in mind…I challenge all of my readers: get ahold of me and name me a better bridge QB in the NFL RIGHT NOW than Geno Smith? I’ll wait…
So, did Omar Khan not know that Geno Smith was available or was he not willing to put up a third round pick? Regardless of which one it is….it’s irritating. And, I wasn’t thinking that the Steelers were going to take a QB in the draft, contrary to popular belief, but it’s getting to a point where I fear they won’t have a choice. Depending on who we wind up bringing in, we’ve got to start thinking about the Steelers bringing in a fuckin rookie to potentially start some games for us this year. Meanwhile, the whole world is telling us that outside of one or two guys, this year’s draft doesn’t have much QB talent. As we sit here TODAY, March 8th, 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers look like the worst offense in the National Football League, and the guys that could’ve made a difference for us: Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, etc., are all going to other teams. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are stuck with their dick in their hands. The biggest news I’ve seen for us this offseason is that we’re working to extend T.J. Watt, which is fantastic. Legacy guy. One of the hardest workers that has ever worn a Steelers jersey…that’s fantastic. Pay the shit out of him. But, we already have the league’s highest paid defense, and we saw how that worked out in 2024. And 2023. And 2022. They’re fucking GASSED at the end of EVERY SINGLE SEASON, because Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan don’t prioritize the offensive side of the ball, and either don’t know how to evaluate/develop QBs or don’t think it’s important. We cannot trot out Russell Wilson, or Mac Jones, or Jaxson Dart and expect a different result than we’ve had. And, I’ve talked so much about the need to add a wide receiver this offseason…..what receiver in their right mind would sign a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers right now? This sucks. But MAYBE this is exactly what we need. A good 4-5 win year with atrocious QB play. Then you can clean house on the coaching staff and draft a real QB prospect at the 2026 NFL Draft, which, coincidentally, will take place in Pittsburgh, PA. What a story that would be. And if that’s how it played out, I’d be happy. But, I think they’re going to try and compete this year. And I think they’ll win 8-11 games. And I think it’ll be a failure and we’ll be in the same exact position at this time next year. It sucks, but that’s seemingly the reality right now.
I understand that this post is littered with emotion and catastrophizing. But 2025 is shaping up to be the least interesting year as a Steelers fan in my lifetime. And, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. What the hell are we going to do?
I’ll be spending the next few days stalking Adam Schefter’s twitter feed and watching QB prospect film, since drafting a QB early suddenly seems like a real possibility.
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