Steelers could shoot for the stars with polarizing QB after latest trade rumors

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in desperate search of a franchise quarterback, and it's time to leave no stone unturned. Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger following the 2021 season, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert foolishly hitched their wagon to Kenny Pickett. That was an experiment that ended early.

Pickett never had the traits, tools, or upside most fans wanted this team to look for in their next franchise signal-caller, and his tenure with the team ended just two years after being selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Since then, the front office's stop-gap efforts haven't panned out and the Steelers are still looking for a long-term solution. Unfortunately, the 2025 draft class is weak at the quarterback position and Pittsburgh may be forced to wait until at least the 2026 draft to resume their search for a long-term quarterback.

However, the latest NFL trade rumor could interest the team in making a QB splash sooner than expected.

Greg A. Bedard of Boston Sports Journal claims that the New England Patriots may be willing to trade Joe Milton III.

“I thought the Patriots would hold off on entertaining a trade of Joe Milton for at least another season," Bedard wrote, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Adam London. "But there's increasing belief around the NFL that the Patriots are at least contemplating a trade of Milton this offseason. Again, I'm not saying he's on the block right now, but the Patriots will likely consider it when everything settles with the front office and coaching staff.”

Milton, who just wrapped up his rookie season, showed tremendous promise when called upon—completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards (8.3 yards per attempt) to go with two total touchdowns in his lone appearance in 2024.

While Milton checks a lot of boxes teams look for at the position, is the polarizing quarterback a worthwhile gamble for Pittsburgh?

Steelers should gauge Patriots' asking price for Joe Milton III

It never hurts to ask. That should be the Steelers' mentality when it comes to their pursuit of a quarterback. While Pittsburgh's front office needs to be selective when throwing darts at a QB and seeing which one sticks, Joe Milton III offers some undeniable traits.

At 6'5 1/8'' and 235 pounds with massive 10 1/4'' hands, Milton is comparable to Ben Roethlisberger, strictly from a size perspective. When you factor in his remarkable athletic traits, his top comparison on Mockdraftable's database—from a size and athletic standpoint—is none other than Josh Allen. This certainly doesn't mean that he will ever come close to reaching his ceiling, but the size and athletic similarities can't be ignored.

In addition to offering an elite package of traits, Milton put his tools on display in limited action as a rookie. His miraculous play extension and touchdown pass against the Bills in the season finale was one of the plays of the year.

Milton added a rushing score in Week 18 against Buffalo, and fans were mesmerized by the QB's effortless backflip that followed.

I don't have to tell you that it's never a good idea to trade for a quarterback because of his highlight film. But the plays Milton made in his lone NFL game as a rookie showcase his tremendous upside.

Unfortunately, Milton is far from a safe gamble. Despite being a raw quarterback entering his second NFL season, Milton turns 25 years old early in the offseason. Going back to his college days, Milton's accuracy was a mess, even after playing six collegiate seasons (three at Michigan and three with Tennessee).

Still, the reward could outweigh the risk in this instance, depending on the asking price. If the Patriots are looking to trade Milton for a third-round pick, this may be too rich for Pittsburgh to pounce. But anything lower should instantly grab their attention.

You don't find quarterbacks with the tools of Joe Milton every day. Nothing is more important than finding the next franchise quarterback, and the Pittsburgh Steelers should at least gauge the asking price and do their homework before tossing this trade rumor aside.