The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been looking for a quarterback that can take advantage of strong defensive performances and go toe-to-toe with the star passers that headline the conference.
For a moment, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford might have been that acquisition. Before the Steelers could strike, he was taken off the trade block with a restructured deal. That returned Pittsburgh to the Land O' Mediocre Quarterbacks, a free agent class filled with two of its 2024 starters – Russell Wilson and Justin Fields – along with a handful of veteran castaways.
On Friday, it became clear that another name was available.
The Seattle Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick, reuniting him with head coach Pete Carroll.
Simply put, the Steelers missed a key quarterback opportunity after the trade.
Smith might not be quite as good as Stafford, but he's closer to his level than Sam Darnold, Fields, Wilson, and the rest of the passers Pittsburgh may have to write a check for in 2025.
The Steelers would have had to trade, at minimum, a second-round pick for Stafford's services. Smith went for less. One could argue trading No. 21 for Stafford would have been acceptable. Trading No. 83 for Smith might make even more sense.
Pittsburgh has the cap space to pull off a big move, and while that might take them out of the running for receiver DK Metcalf, it's easier to build an offense with one star receiver and a quality quarterback already set. Smith is aggressive, poised, and used to poor offensive line play, something Pittsburgh could have promised to alleviate.
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Instead, the Steelers have willingly chosen to run it back. Maybe it will be one of last year's quarterbacks. It may be a new face, but the level of play shouldn't deviate much. Does anyone believe Sam Darnold, Jameis Winston, or Aaron Rodgers is taking down the best teams in the AFC North?
Maybe the deal just developed too quickly to act on. But anything less resigns Pittsburgh to below-average quarterbacking in 2025. That's a choice this front office and coaching staff is content with, and it's going to cost them games, like it does every season.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 8:41 PM.