New Year, New Gear: 3 veteran quarterbacks the Steelers could pursue in 2024
By Tommy Jaggi
Following the 2023 season, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers front office will reevaluate each position on the roster -- that includes quarterback. There's no position more important in all of professional sports. Sadly, this team hasn't gotten nearly enough out of the QB position over the past two years.
Regardless of the team's pre-draft evaluation of Kenny Pickett, at some point, the Steelers will have to pull the plug and admit that he wasn't the answer they needed. It's worth noting that Pickett was the final first-round selection of a departing Kevin Colbert at GM. New front office heads Omar Khan and Andy Weidl may want to go in a new direction.
The Steelers still have star players on defense and some budding young players who could help build the foundation of their roster in a new era. A veteran quarterback could potentially take this team to the next level. Here are three options at QB the Pittsburgh Steelers could pursue during the 2024 offseason.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
With a chance to hit the reset button and take a quarterback near the top of the draft, the Arizona Cardinals could look to move on from former first overall pick, Kyler Murray. Of course, the massive contract extension he signed during the 2022 offseason could make things tricky.
If both parties can find a way to make it work financially, this could be something that could really interest Mike Tomlin. Though he is small in stature, Murray can be an electrifying player at times, and he was able to carry a bad roster on his shoulders for an easy win over the Steelers in Week 13 of 2023.
Murray has a live arm and elite running ability that could make him an instant upgrade at the quarterback position over Kenny Pickett. It's difficult to say what sort of return the Cardinals would ask for their most valuable player, but Pittsburgh could find a way to make it work.
Murray has not yet established himself as a bonafide top-10 NFL quarterback, but the flashes are there. Perhaps on a better roster with a solid defense, he could lead this team into serious contention in the AFC.