The Pittsburgh Steelers have no shortage of roster needs, and some are more pressing than others. The cornerback position—which included some heavy offseason investments—took a turn for the worse in 2025, while Pittsburgh's wide receiver room remains underwhelming.
On top of this, the Steelers might be an offensive lineman or two away from the long-term solutions they desire to round out the unit. Meanwhile, we're destined to see significant roster turnover as high-profile players like Patrick Queen and Jonnu Smith could be cap casualties during the 2026 offseason.
But one position remains the biggest need for the Steelers: a franchise quarterback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will look for a franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft
Aaron Rodgers is 42 years old. Even if he and the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to 'run it back for one more season, Rodgers would be entering his 22nd NFL season in 2026 and would be nothing more than a bridge quarterback.
Streaming quarterbacks have not been the answer for the Steelers. Outside of taking a swing on Pitt QB Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft, every stop-gap option—like Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers—has fallen short, and Pittsburgh hasn't gotten so much as above-average quarterback play from the position since Ben Roethlisberger in 2017 (before his career started to spiral).
Here's where things might get dicey: there's no guarantee that Mike Tomlin and the front office will be on the same page.
While general manager Omar Khan and Andy Weidl are still looking for their first chance to take a big swing at a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft, Mike Tomlin will be entering his 20th season as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 53-year-old may not want to start over with a rookie QB at the helm (especially if Tomlin thinks his time with the team is winding down soon).
If this happens, Tomlin and the front office may try to meet in the middle with another bridge quarterback while taking a signal-caller early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, promising QB options could be limited in the draft next April. There has been significant speculation that high-profile quarterbacks like Oregon's Dante Moore and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers could return to school for another season for added experience before declaring for the NFL Draft.
In addition to Moore and Sellers being on the draft radar for 2026, the other top QB prospects could include names like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Alabama's Ty Simpson, Oklahoma's John Mateer, and USC's Jayden Maiava. Of all the top QB prospects that could potentially declare for the 2026 draft, all are eligible to return for another college football season except for Nussmeier.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can no longer ignore the elephant in the room: they need a franchise quarterback. Based on how things have gone in 2025, I would expect them to push for one early in the 2026 NFL Draft.