The Pittsburgh Steelers will have no shortage of needs during the 2026 offseason. Despite significant roster turnover in 2025—which included the addition of players like Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Darius Slay—Mike Tomlin's team underwhelmed.
Now the Steelers will be looking to fix a glaring issue that has loomed for years: the quarterback position.
Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have shuffled through a variety of starting quarterbacks. Unfortunately, veteran acquisitions like Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Mitch Trubisky fell short, while draft picks like Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph proved to be nothing more than quality NFL backups.
With Rodgers entering his 22nd NFL offseason and contemplating retirement, the Steelers shouldn't be in line to re-sign the 42-year-old signal-caller. Eventually, general manager Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl will look to take their big QB swing in the draft. This could come as early as April.
But even if they take a shot on a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers are going to want a bridge quarterback who can help get this team over the hump while their rookie draft pick develops.
Daniel Jones could be the Pittsburgh Steelers' top free agent target in 2026
A year ago, nobody was lining up at the door to hand Daniel Jones a blank check. The sixth overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft carried a 'bust' label, and there was little hope that he would turn things around. But like Sam Darnold in 2024, Jones proved to be an outstanding reclamation project.
The veteran quarterback finally had a breakout campaign with the Indianapolis Colts in 2025. Because of this, we can rest assured that the Colts will attempt to retain their starting signal-caller for the near future, but money speaks. If GM Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen aren't sold on giving Daniel Jones a massive new deal, a team like the Steelers could throw their hat in the ring for Jones during the 2026 free agency period.
While Jones is more of a game-manager than a creator from the pocket, he showed tremendous poise this season with the Colts and an impressive ability to go through his progressions and deliver an accurate football.
Jones' 6'5'', 230-pound is something offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and the Steelers could covet in free agency. Smith's greatest success as an offensive play-caller came in 2019 and 2020 when he had Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.
Tannehill and Jones share numerous similarities, as they are both tall pocket-passing quarterbacks with enough mobility to get out in space. Tannehill was a former eighth-overall draft pick and reclamation QB prospect who proved to be the best after leaving the Miami Dolphins and joining Smith on the Tennessee Titans for the second half of his NFL career.
Even if the Steelers go after Jones in free agency, there's no guarantee that the veteran quarterback fixes their main problems on offense. Pittsburgh has some deeply-rooted issues that stem from Mike Tomlin's conservative game plan and his unwillingness to allow his quarterbacks to sling the ball over the middle of the field consistently.
Still, this might not stop Tomlin, Khan, and the organization from pursuing Jones in 2026. If there's one free agent they go after hard this coming offseason, it could be the Indianapolis Colts' reclamation quarterback.