Though it came as no surprise as a standard answer from general manager Omar Khan, he’s leaving everything on the table when it comes to quarterback. Promising the team would take four of them to training camp, he’s leaving the door open for how to add two more to pair with Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
Speaking during the team’s annual pre-draft press conference, Khan led off the session by addressing quarterback.
“All options are on the table,” Khan said Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel Tuesday morning.
While this weekend’s focus is on the rookies, Pittsburgh continues playing the waiting game with veteran QB Aaron Rodgers. Making his first public offseason comments on The Pat McAfee Show last week, Rodgers didn’t seem close to making a decision and informed teams like the Steelers that he’s focused on his personal life first before deciding on his football future.
Mike Tomlin said whether Rodgers is ultimately in or out won’t impact how the team proceeds later this week.
“It does not,” Tomlin said when asked if Rodgers impacts the team’s draft strategy.
The Steelers have done their homework on the top quarterbacks of this year’s class and have been increasingly linked to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, now the betting favorites to select him. The team has also paid close attention to Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, and Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
Even if Rodgers signs with the Steelers, he’s a short-term option likely inked to a one-year contract with no guarantee to play in 2026. Adding a rookie quarterback is a long-term play for Rodgers to possibly pass the baton off to next year and beyond.
The Steeles have turned over their quarterback room each of the past two years, a habit they’d like to break. Drafting a rookie to a four-year contract will help provide some level of stability even if it doesn’t guarantee a long-term answer. Like everything else quarterback-related ahead of the NFL draft, what the Steelers and everyone else will do at the position seems up in the air.
