The Pittsburgh Steelers were quickly bounced from the playoffs this year after a humiliating 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Now they've got a bigger problem—finding a franchise quarterback. During the 2025 offseason, former head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan put all of their eggs into the 'Aaron Rodgers' basket, and the team fell short of expectations.
Sadly, Super Bowl LX is a reminder of where the Steelers went wrong.
Early in the 2025 offseason, we wrote about how the Steelers may have missed out on a potential franchise quarterback by passing on veteran Sam Darnold. The journeyman QB and 2018 first-round pick was coming off a phenomenal season with the Minnesota Vikings.
But instead of going after Darnold, Tomlin and the Steelers had their hearts set on Rodgers. Darnold inked a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Now, with two different franchises, Darnold has led his team to a 14-3 record in back-to-back seasons. This time, Darnold is heading to the Super Bowl.
And once again, a short-sighted decision by the Steelers to go with Rodgers now serves as a painful reminder of what they could have had.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be kicking themselves for not signing QB Sam Darnold in 2025
Obviously, we couldn't have predicted that Sam Darnold would be on the cusp of a Super Bowl title less than a full calendar year from hitting free agency. But all the signs were there of being a franchise quarterback.
Though his career got off to a slow start, Darnold possesses an impressive frame and tools for the position, while playing his best football in recent years. The biggest clue was his 2024 campaign.
In 17 games with the Vikings in 2024, Darnold recorded 4,319 passing yards while chipping in 35 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Interestingly, Darnold put up more passing touchdowns than any season in Ben Roethlisberger's 18-year NFL career, while his yards in 2024 would have been good for the fourth-best mark in Big Ben's career.
What's astounding is Darnold's record in recent years. Over the past four seasons, Darnold has led four different teams to a combined record of 32-9 in the regular season (34-10, counting the playoffs). The cherry on top was that he was just 27 years old during all of last offseason.
What more could the Steelers have asked for?
Over the past two seasons, Darnold has combined for over 8,300 yards and 60 touchdown passes while earning his second straight Pro Bowl appearance.
As the Pittsburgh Steelers attempt to fight their way out of QB purgatory and locate a franchise quarterback, the answer was staring them in the face all along.
Darnold is now four quarters away from being a 28-year-old Super Bowl champion quarterback, if he can get past the New England Patriots. And there's nothing to suggest he can't play for another decade in the NFL.
Watching Sam Darnold take the field for Super Bowl LX is going to make the Pittsburgh Steelers relive the brutal mistake they made during the 2025 offseason.