When the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired star receiver DK Metcalf and handed out a significant contract to the 27-year-old receiver, the vision was seemingly clear that the Steelers were going to upgrade the quarterback position by running it back with Justin Fields or signing Sam Darnold.
That possibility of Fields or Darnold had to have Metcalf excited. In fact, when he did his introductory press conference with the Steelers last week having already signed the contract and agreed to the trade, Metcalf stated he felt like the organization was going to make the right decision regarding who was going to be throwing the football, even after Fields and Darnold agreed to deals elsewhere.
Now, the Steelers find themselves waiting for a decision from 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, while also keeping Russell Wilson well away from the picture when it comes to the quarterback situation. Mason Rudolph was signed to a two-year deal and Skylar Thompson is the only other quarterback on the roster currently.
It’s not a great situation to be in, and for former NFL quarterback and The Athletic and FS1 analyst Chase Daniel, who appeared on the latest episode of the “Scoop City” podcast with NFL Insider Dianna Russini, he believes Metcalf has to be wondering “what the hell” is going on at quarterback.
“If I’m DK Metcalf though, in my opinion, I’m thinking like, ‘what the hell’s happening?’ Because I didn’t come here to catch football’s from Mason Rudolph,” Daniel said regarding the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh, according to video via the show’s YouTube page.
It’s a fair point and stance from Daniel. When the Steelers swung the massive trade for Metcalf, sending a second-round pick to Seattle in the 2025 NFL Draft to land the receiver, and then breaking precedent by handing out a massive extension to Metcalf.
While Metcalf stated outright during the introductory press conference with the Pittsburgh media that Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan made him feel confident in the quarterback plan moving forward, things could be a bit different behind the scenes.
The Steelers find themselves in a rough spot at the most important position in sports. There seems to be no interest in bringing back Wilson, who has familiarity and a friendship with Metcalf. Rodgers could drag this thing out and wait awhile to make a decision, and the 2025 NFL Draft class at the quarterback position isn’t all that good.
At some point, the Steelers will have to pivot off of Rodgers and further bolster the quarterback position. While they may be expressing confidence in Rudolph being the starter entering the 2025 season and adding a rookie high in the 2025 NFL Draft, the situation — put simply — is a mess, and they’ve put themselves in this situation.
The path out of it isn’t all that clear. Fortunately they have a star receiver to soften the blow at quarterback, regardless of who is in there. But this can’t be a situation Metcalf is all that thrilled with, especially after catching passes from Wilson and Geno Smith in his career.
Recommended for you