The free-agent and trade quarterback markets are rarely robust, and the 2026 offseason is no exception. Players coming off strong seasons like Sam Darnold last year don’t often become available, and unless you count Malik Willis and his 155 career pass attempts, proven options are scarce. That leaves Kyler Murray as the most established quarterback in free agency. At least one ESPN analyst believes the Pittsburgh Steelers should pursue him.
“He is still only 28 years old,” Riddick said on ESPN’s Get Up Wednesday morning. “The quarterback position is always a supply and demand-driven market. The supply never really meets the demand anyway. You know that there are gonna be teams that are gonna extend themselves to try and get this young man if the need is that desperate.
“It is desperate in New York. It is desperate, quite honestly, I believe still in Pittsburgh regardless of what Aaron Rodgers decides to do. They need to find a longer-term option. Not a year-to-year option in Pittsburgh, and Kyler can give you that.”
Similar to the situation that landed Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh two seasons ago, Kyler Murray can be signed for the league minimum with Arizona picking up the rest of the tab in offsets. If Rodgers retires, or even if he doesn’t, it might be worth considering a 28-year old with two Pro Bowls and an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award under his belt.
Murray hasn’t been able to finish two of the last three seasons due to injuries, but he had 3,851 passing yards and 21 TDs, with another 572 rushing yards and five TDs in 2024, his last full season. The Steelers haven’t had that many passing yards since Ben Roethlisberger’s last great season in 2018.
Is Murray a culture fit, and a fit within Mike McCarthy’s scheme? Those are things the Steelers would need to assess before hitching their wagon to him for at least a year, but he at least has some track record of success, albeit on a bad Arizona Cardinals team that went 38-48-1 during his time there.
If McCarthy really is the quarterback whisperer he sold himself as to the Steelers, Murray is exactly the type of project with upside that should intrigue him.
The Steelers seem to really like Will Howard, but remember what Art Rooney II said about rebuilding (hint: he doesn’t like that word). Don’t be surprised when they add a veteran if Rodgers retires, and few have more potential for less investment that Murray.
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