The Pittsburgh Steelers bounced from holding the league’s worst-kept secret of signing Aaron Rodgers, to having the next worst-kept secret that they’re targeting a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, which will coincidentally be held in Pittsburgh.
Just like the Packers finally drafted a wide receiver in the first round when Green Bay hosted the draft, many believe Pittsburgh will finally find its next franchise quarterback next April. Having 12 draft picks at their disposal, even if the Rodgers experiment goes well, the front office should have the ammunition to move up to get the QB of their choice.
Of course, speculation from now until the draft opens on April 23 will be about which quarterback the Steelers will be hoping to land. One possible choice may already be off the table.
One top QB target for the Pittsburgh Steelers could be off the board already
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam seemed to indicate in an interview Tuesday that Arch Manning shouldn’t be expected to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, taking one potential option off the table for Pittsburgh next spring.
"I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that -- and I don't know Arch at all -- I would bet he stays in college two years," Haslam said via ESPN. "So, I don't even really think that's worth discussing."
Of course, the Browns are one of several teams that could likely be in play for the first-overall pick in next year’s draft. The Steelers aren’t in that same category.
It goes without saying that whether Manning is in the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft, he’s going to be the top selection unless he’s truly awful at Texas - which does not seem at all likely, but anything can happen. Effectively, the Steelers would have needed a perfect storm with the right team landing that top pick to not have a pressing need at quarterback, so that they could bargain for a trade up to select the legacy player.
Still, most Steelers fans know it’s wishful thinking to hope for Manning to end up in a Steelers uniform. But if he isn’t in the 2026 NFL Draft class, his absence still affects the Steelers' choices at quarterback next spring.
If Manning does stay in college, then the race for the No. 1 pick is wide open among several quarterbacks, most notably Cade Klubnik from Clemson, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU. Others like Penn State’s Drew Allar could also certainly be in the mix. With Manning in the class, Pittsburgh would have an opportunity to get any of these guys, but if one is guaranteed to go No.1, then Pittsburgh’s options effectively dwindle by two.
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Overall, Steelers fans need this quarterback class to live up to expectations. There are more potential first-round quarterbacks in the class than those listed above, but they are more darkhorse candidates that would have to move up the board. But if they fall short and any of the favorites fall off in a Spencer Rattler-style fashion, then the Steelers’ options will continue to shrink.
In the best-case scenario where the Rodgers experiment works and the Steelers make any sort of playoff run, then they need a plethora of options to choose from to afford them the opportunity to move up and pick the one they like best.