Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Skylar Thompson
Position: Quarterback
Experience: 4 Years (1 with Steelers)
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2025 Salary Cap Hit: $594,722
2025 Season Breakdown:
Thanks to Will Howard’s injury, Skylar Thompson made the Steelers’ 53-man roster, but spent most of the year on IR. Suffering a hamstring injury in practice early in the regular season, he left the team with just two quarterbacks for a long stretch. That is incredibly rare for the Steelers, but they knew they were developing Will Howard.
A former seventh-round pick of the Dolphins, Skylar Thompson arrived in Pittsburgh with some NFL experience. Signed to a futures contract, he was the only quarterback they had under contract for a while. Eventually, they signed Mason Rudolph and drafted Howard, with Aaron Rodgers finally signing.
While Thompson seemed like the obvious odd man out, he had a good offseason. Thanks to some particularly good preseason showings, he kept himself relevant. He made the team and earned some paychecks, but what now?
Free Agency Outlook:
Until the Steelers’ quarterback situation is resolved, it wouldn’t hurt to bring Skylar Thompson back. Right now, they have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard under contract, and Aaron Rodgers is dragging his feet. At the very least, the Steelers like to bring four quarterbacks into training camp.
An unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, Thompson isn’t likely to have much of a market. The Dolphins already released him before the end of the 2024 season. Anybody who wanted him had a shot at him then, and he hasn’t exactly changed the trajectory of his career since then. And QB coach Tom Arth is still here, while OC Arthur Smith is now in college. If any team has any connections with him, it’s right here in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers havea long list of free agents this year, but no absolutely can’t-lose names, at least debatably. Aaron Rodgers is the presumptive exception; the team has already gone on record expressing the desire that he return. While the list includes significant players like Kenneth Gainwell and Isaac Seumalo, they are not overwhelmingly pressing priorities. The quarterback question supersedes all, and I don’t foresee another Mason Rudolph spring. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot.
And with the Steelers introducing an almost entirely new coaching regime, the direction of free agency is unclear. No doubt, we will see how things evolve between February and March. It’s possible they make some significant moves, a surprising cut, or work on a bold trade. After all, this is a new scheme they are now building into.
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