Jay Glazer recently shared some insight on the Pat McAfee Show. Here’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t want to start from scratch with a rookie quarterback next season.
Over the past few years, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been speculating about how the team is going to want to proceed at the quarterback position after Ben Roethlisberger retires. Though the Steelers have a winning record, Big Ben’s 2021 season hasn’t exactly gone according to plan, and the 18-year veteran could be after this year.
Many assume that Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin want to start from the ground up and bring in a young, talented quarterback via the NFL Draft that they can mold to fit their needs. However, it’s starting to feel like that may not necessarily be the case.
Recently, Fox NFL insider, Jay Glazer, spoke about Tomlin on the Pat McAfee Show and shared that he believes the team doesn’t want to ‘start from scratch’ at the quarterback position. Here’s what he had to say:
"The Pittsburgh Steelers don't wanna start from scratch with a rookie QB next season.. there's gonna be a HUGE market for veteran QBs that are available" ~@JayGlazer#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE #JayKnew pic.twitter.com/na01vxdnYx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 17, 2021
Glazer speculates that the team isn’t interested in going the rookie quarterback route and Pittsburgh’s management is going to want to bring in a veteran to lead this group after Ben Roethlisberger.
If this turns out to be the case, what options could be available?
Which veteran QB could lead the Steelers in 2022?
When mentioning potential veterans who could potentially be available to this team in 2022, Glazer didn’t shy away from the players at the top of the list. He made mention of Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers.
All three of these quarterbacks are still under contract for the 2022 season but is plenty of reason to believe why their respective teams could be willing to part with them if the compensation is right.
Watson, Wilson, and Rodgers have all expressed their frustration with their current organizations. Though it might be hard to believe that the Packers would be willing to trade Aaron Rodgers for any reason after being one of the most successful football teams this year, the Seahawks and Texans are two organizations severely lacking talent at the moment.
While no team wants to hand away their franchise quarterback, Houston and Seattle may elect to do next offseason for a plethora of draft capital which they can use to start to overhaul their rosters.
Russell Wilson is a player that makes particular sense for the Steelers. Despite his short stature, Wilson has a huge arm and is one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL. Mobility is something that Tomlin has emphasized greatly as of late, and Wilson has a terrific pedigree. In addition, He will be just 33 years old next season and should have several good years left in the tank.
Finding the right compensation that both sides can agree upon could be a challenge, but with Tomlin and Kevin Colbert going year-to-year and with a team that could finish above .500 again this season, it makes sense as to why they wouldn’t want to start over with a rookie quarterback.
Landing a top-flight quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger is gone seems like a pipe dream, but this could be the route Pittsburgh tries to take. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do.