The new league year is officially underway, and the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a starting quarterback. Only one is under contract, Skylar Thompson, while the team is living on Aaron Rodgers’ time as he mulls his next NFL move. An empty depth chart is creating angst not just among fans but also among players like defensive captain DL Cam Heyward.
“We don’t have a quarterback yet,” Heyward said during the most recent episode of his Not Just Football podcast with co-host Hayden Walsh, a live-taping at the 2025 SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas. “It’s 4:16 right now, and we still don’t have a quarterback.”
Justin Fields departed for the New York Jets, while Pittsburgh is showing little interest in retaining Russell Wilson, who is prepped to take tours with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. Aaron Rodgers is the team’s top target, but the Giants are courting him while the Minnesota Vikings are emerging as a sleeper choice.
There’s a world in which Pittsburgh loses out on Wilson and Rodgers, putting them in a worst-case scenario with no clear starting option. At that point, Kirk Cousins, Mason Rudolph, and a rookie become the main topics.
The Steelers haven’t let the uncertainty prevent them from making other moves. They added a pair of cornerbacks in Darius Slay and Brandin Echols and juiced up the offense in RB Kenneth Gainwell and WR DK Metcalf, the latter the biggest trade in franchise history. Metcalf is set to become the highest-paid non-QB in franchise history, at least until T.J. Watt surpasses him later this year.
At some point, Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport, and the top insiders will announce who the Steelers’ next quarterback will be. That thought isn’t lost on Heyward.
“I know, which is freaking me out,” Cam Heyward said at guest Adam Ray’s suggestion news could come at literally any moment. “I don’t know how to feel about this.”
The suggestion of Rodgers being the Steelers’ starter was met by boos from the audience, a hint at the lukewarm reaction his presence would bring.
“You guys really have an opinion about this,” a joking Heyward responded to the chorus of jeers. “You sound like you’re playing with him.”
But if Rodgers, like any player, can come in and help Pittsburgh win, the fanbase will embrace him. For Heyward and his teammates, the sooner there’s an answer, the better.
