Steelers rumored quarterback upgrades ranked from least likely to most possible
Seemingly no decision-makers have come out publicly to defend Kenny Pickett's starting spot at quarterback next season. It is still early but everything that leaks out of the Steelers headquarters shows that the club is more than willing to listen to potential options to upgrade their starting spot. That speaks volumes about their distrust in Pickett being the franchise guy which is a total flip-flop of what they said when he was drafted in 2022.
He has not been good, and his second season wasn't the step ahead that many expected. He will be 26 years old when next season starts, so his progression might be capped. Pittsburgh seems to have that thought in the back of their mind and plenty of reports have them connected to almost every starting-caliber quarterback available this offseason. Keep an eye out for the black and gold this offseason.
60. 5. player. . Kirk Cousins. Quarterback. . Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins.
Kirk Cousins will price himself out of the Steelers budget this offseason
Coming in as the least likely is Kirk Cousins. It makes little sense for the Steelers to go out and spend a lot of money on a quarterback. They have plenty of other flaws on their roster that they have to take care of first. Signing a free agent like Cousins would call for a massive cap purge this offseason, only for Pittsburgh to spend most of it on this free agent.
Right now, it seems like Cousins will be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason if he makes it to market. He is the best option out there for the Steelers if they are looking for a quarterback who is proven and can help them compete in a playoff push. It is unlikely to happen even though the reports are out there that Cousins would consider the Steelers.
It all comes down to money and the black and gold are still trying to shrink down their cap situation. That could be an easy fix, but opening enough spending cash to land a quarterback like Cousins might be too rich. Unless he was willing to go on a short-term deal and for cheaper, Cousins signing in Pittsburgh doesn't seem like a realistic scenario at the moment.