The Pittsburgh Steelers are full steam ahead with the Aaron Rodgers project for the 2025 season, but the front office is likely hard at work trying to figure out what the plan is going to be once the future Hall of Famer quarterback retires.
The Indianapolis Colts may have thrown the Steelers a major bone on Tuesday morning, as they decided to essentially bring an end to the Anthony Richardson era when Shane Steichen declared former New York Giants bust Daniel Jones as the team's Week 1 starting quarterback.
Richardson will likely have suitors on the open market, as his incredibly strong arm and physical tools, coupled with the fact that he remains relatively untapped in terms of his long-term potential, could create quite a healthy collection of suitors. The Steelers have more than enough picks to send Indianapolis' way in order to secure a trade for No. 5.
The Steelers could give up a few late-round picks to Indianapolis, buy low on Richardson, and possibly strike gold as they try to find a replacement for Rodgers after the 2025 season.
This Steelers-Colts trade brings quarterback Anthony Richardson to Pittsburgh
Richardson is barely completing over 50% of his passes and has more interceptions than passing touchdowns in his career, but this was expected due to how raw of a prospect he was at Florida. While it feels like he's been put through the wringer in the pros, he is still just 23 years old, which puts him on par with some of the top prospects in the 2026 QB class.
Richardson has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, and his 4.41 40-yard dash shows up on film. While he has some issues with diagnosing defenses pre-snap, he has a penchant for pulling off incredibly impressive throws deep down the field. Think of him as Justin Fields, albeit less accurate and a bit thicker.
If Rodgers lives up to expectations, Pittsburgh is likely not going to have a high enough draft pick to replace him with one of the top players in the 2026 class. Richardson will also be going to Arthur Smith, who has made quite a career out of designing offenses that can take advantage of mobile quarterbacks.
Richardson is a risk, and it could blow up in Pittsburgh's face like it did with Indianapolis, but the sky-high talent ceiling that Richardson's abilities offer him could be reached with the right coaching around him.