3 quarterback insurance options Steelers could get outside the draft

Sam Darnold

This is going to be a really hard thing to make happen. If I was a GM or new head coach of the Jets I would immediately say that I’m not trading Sam Darnold while using my heap of draft picks and cap room to build a contender right now. Darnold is good enough to build around and be competitive this year.

Darnold looked like he was playing 1 against 11 on offense at some points this year, like his viral touchdown run in Denver. He has no one to throw to, no star to hand the ball off to, and no one to block for him. The Jets are in the middle of a huge rebuild and Darnold could be the centerpiece if they pull it off. They could trade the 2nd overall pick (to a team that hopes to draft Zach Wilson) to further improve the amount of capital they have. For the purposes of this discussion, the Jets are trading Sam Darnold to help build around Zach Wilson.

This deal more than likely won’t happen unless Trevor Lawrence falls to number 2. More importantly, even if they do move off of Sam Darnold they would likely get more than what the Steelers could offer. There are at least 2 teams in need of a quarterback that have more draft assets to offer than we could give up for him. Yet, there is always a chance that New York or some of the potential suitors for Darnold would rather draft a QB and that is how the Steelers could take advantage of this year’s QB class without even drafting a QB.

With all signs pointing to Ben Roethlisberger returning for another season, a trade for one of these quarterbacks would really be hard to execute. However, the Steelers could make a move to ensure that they have a quality opinion at the quarterback position going forward.