The Pittsburgh Steelers’ plan A at the quarterback position is clearly Aaron Rodgers. But it’s no guarantee he’ll play another year. Thus, there’s a chance Pittsburgh will have no choice but to look at other options this offseason. One of the newest being Kyler Murray.
Murray seemed like a prime trade candidate since about halfway through the 2025 season, when it seemed clear the Arizona Cardinals wouldn’t be bringing him back for 2026. However, a trade failed to materialize. And it was reported this week that the Cardinals plan to release Murray on the first day of the new league year, next Wednesday.
Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard thinks Murray could be the answer in Pittsburgh and he compares Murray to a quarterback with a similar skill set, who started six games for the Steelers in 2024.
“Pittsburgh could make some sense. Because he, it’d really be the same thing as Justin Fields for them. He has, probably, more talent than Justin. But I’m saying, they’re like, ‘oh let’s take a shot on him, and see if he’s our guy in the future’,” Broussard said Tuesday on First Things First.
On the surface, it’s easy to compare Kyler Murray and Justin Fields. Both are obviously dual-threat quarterbacks. And despite some of his faults, Fields has an argument to be the best running quarterback in the NFL. Murray isn’t that far behind, able to make plays like this with his legs.
The Steelers brought Fields in and started him for six games in 2024. They did well managing his skill set, winning four of those six.
However, the comparison isn’t that simple. As a thrower, Murray’s not perfect, but he’s been a lot better than Fields. He’s more accurate and has the ability to throw receivers open in a way Fields isn’t really able to. Also, the Steelers will obviously be running a different offense with Mike McCarthy this year than they did with Fields and Arthur Smith in 2024.
Murray is getting a lot of flak for the way his time in Arizona came to an end. But he definitely is still a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. He’s struggled with injuries in recent years, but when healthy, he’s been successful. Murray won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2019. And he was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the following two years.
Those who want a younger quarterback, one to mold for the future, won’t be as happy about the idea of Kyler Murray. But he still has talent, and he’s a name the Steelers have to consider, as they continue to wait on an answer from Aaron Rodgers.
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