By now, fans have had a chance to take in the Pittsburgh Steelers' hiring of Mike McCarthy and, for the most part, it has not been well-received. But, it is what it is, and the team is moving forward with a retread head coach who doesn't offer any more confidence than Mike Tomlin did.
If anything, McCarthy offers a breath of ... well, mediocrity. The Steelers could continue to be good enough, but a Super Bowl contender? Not likely.
One of the biggest questions this offseason is once again going to be about the quarterback position. If it isn't Aaron Rodgers, one Steelers beat reporter has a hunch at another name that might make sense. PennLive's Nick Farabaugh recently chimed in on the early buzz:
"Mike McCarthy, in the past, has really liked Kyler Murray. That's been something to watch."
A Kyler Murray-Steelers trade will continue to be a topic until a firm decision is made
So, we know McCarthy likes Kyler Murray. But, is it realistic to think the Steelers could make a play for him? Farabaugh believes so:
"Let's say Rodgers doesn't want to come back. I think Kyler is going to be on the table."
If you simply look at how the Steelers have operated over the past several years, this would be exactly the kind of move they'd make. Art Rooney II doesn't want to completely tear this thing down and build the right way.
Instead, he's made a plethora of mild-to-mediocre moves in order to stay relevant. Even the DK Metcalf trade wasn't necessarily a splash move. Metcalf is a good player, but he's not great. And, to win a Super Bowl, you need to be aiming for better than just "good."
Murray may be out in Arizona if the Cardinals want to rebuild under their new head coach. So, that would put him on the trade block. But, just how good do we think Murray makes this Steelers offense? He hasn't exactly been the epitome of consistency when he's on the field, and that's another aspect of it.
Murray is coming off a shortened season due to a foot injury. Part of what has made him exciting to watch, in the past, is his ability to run. How will that injury affect him as he is set to turn 29 in August?
We're also talking about a quarterback who has never thrown for over 4,000 yards and hasn't had over 21 touchdown passes since 2021. Once again, injuries have been part of that story.
So, I wouldn't get too excited if I were a Steelers fan. This might sound like a big potential move, but is it really?