The quarterback carousel never really stops in the NFL. Every offseason, it spins a little faster, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the ride has been particularly dizzying lately.
Finding a long-term answer under center has become something close to mission impossible for general manager Omar Khan and his front office. Last season, the presence of Aaron Rodgers kept the Steelers relevant and competitive. But let’s be honest — Rodgers always felt more like a temporary patch than a permanent solution.
A bandage on a growing wound.
Now another veteran quarterback has suddenly entered the conversation. On Friday morning, the Las Vegas Raiders announced their decision to release Geno Smith after just one season with the franchise. As expected, the news quickly rippled across the league, and teams searching for quarterback stability immediately became hypothetical landing spots.
Naturally, that includes Pittsburgh. But this is one path the Steelers should resist.
Smith’s lone season in Las Vegas never truly gained traction. He finished the year with 3,025 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions — numbers that placed him squarely in the middle tier of starting quarterbacks. Unfortunately for the Raiders, middle-tier production wasn’t nearly enough to rescue a collapsing season.
Las Vegas finished with just three wins, tying the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals for the worst record in the league.
That kind of result tends to spark sweeping changes, and Smith ultimately became one of the casualties.
From a financial standpoint, the move is fascinating. The Raiders will absorb roughly $18.5 million in dead money to release Smith, which theoretically makes him an affordable veteran option for quarterback-needy teams. For Pittsburgh, a short-term deal could appear tempting on the surface, but the reality is more complicated.
The Pittsburgh Steelers cannot afford to waste time on Geno Smith
Veteran bridge quarterbacks typically command contracts between $12 million and $25 million annually. Even if Smith lands toward the lower end of that spectrum, a deal around $14 million would still represent a meaningful chunk of the Steelers’ projected cap space.
And that cap space matters.
Pittsburgh recently worked hard to free up roughly $50 million by reshaping contracts and releasing players like Jonnu Smith. Those financial maneuvers weren’t made simply to repeat the same short-term quarterback experiment they tried last year.
Signing Smith would feel like hitting the reset button on that exact strategy.
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Sure, Smith has experienced a late-career resurgence before. His breakout season with the Seattle Seahawks proved he could lead a competent offense when the system fits. But at 35 years old, the long-term upside simply isn’t there.
That’s the key issue.
The Steelers don’t just need a quarterback who can survive the season. They need one who can help build the next chapter of the franchise. Adding Smith would likely create another temporary holding pattern — one that delays the real solution rather than bringing Pittsburgh closer to it.
Yes, the Steelers’ quarterback situation is uncomfortable. At times, it even feels chaotic. But desperation is rarely the best decision-maker in professional sports. When organizations start chasing every available option, they often end up moving further away from the answer they actually need.
That’s why patience still matters.
Khan has multiple avenues to explore, whether through the draft, internal development, or another strategic move that hasn’t revealed itself yet. Not every available quarterback needs to become a serious pursuit.
Some options are simply distractions.
And when it comes to Geno Smith, the Steelers would be wise to keep driving past that exit.