3 veteran quarterbacks Steelers must attempt to trade for in 2022
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers will soon be in the market for a quarterback. Here are three veterans they must pursue following the 2021 season.
After selling out to make one final run at a championship, it’s certainly looking like this is going to be the last rodeo with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The 18-year veteran took a pay cut to return to Pittsburgh this season, but the Steelers handed him a voidable-year contract that will cost them upwards of $10.3 million in dead money next season, according to Over the Cap.
Combine this with the fact that Roethlisberger has been thoroughly underwhelming so far in 2021, and you are looking at a team that will almost certainly be in the market for a franchise quarterback in 2022.
I’m not in favor of bringing in a stop-gap veteran who has failed for other teams, or who I don’t believe can win a Super Bowl, so players like Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, and Jameis Winston are out of the question for me. However, there are three quarterbacks who could become available that the Steelers should pounce at the opportunity to trade for next offseason:
Steelers must pursue Derek Carr
I’ve spoken with many Steelers fans who want nothing to do with a player like Derek Carr, but I just don’t get it. Though he might not be one of the household names in the NFL, this isn’t the same quarterback the Raiders drafted back in 2014. Carr has improved by leaps and bounds since then.
After averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt as a rookie, Carr has changed the way he plays football and is a much better passer down the field. Over the past three seasons, he has averaged at least 7.9 yards per attempt in each. This is a better number than Ben Roethlisberger has seen in six years. This season, Carr is on the pace to be one of the NFL’s most efficient passers, and he has managed a passer rating of over 100.5 in every season since 2018, according to Pro Football Reference.
So why would Carr become available for trade? There are talks that Aaron Rodgers would love to move out west, and some speculate that the Raiders will be one of the top teams to make a play for him next offseason. If that’s the case, Pittsburgh should throw their first-rounder at Carr next year.