Coming into this offseason, everybody knew the Steelers might have a tough time filling their need at quarterback. That’s evidenced by the fact that they’re still waiting on Aaron Rodgers. Mason Rudolph would be the starter if the season began today. If their actions have told us anything, it’s that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan have designated the 2026 NFL Draft as their next best chance to find a true franchise quarterback.
Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have struggled to fill his shoes. Each year, that problem seems to become more and more dire. If Pittsburgh ends up missing on its quarterback next offseason, The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen thinks it might be time for the Steelers and Tomlin to part ways.
“If they fail the quarterback thing one more time, again it’s a hard thing to do, but at that point it will be like a decade since they’ve figured it out,” Klassen said Monday on The Athletic Football Show. “And it’s like at that point, even if I still think Tomlin’s a good coach, and they’re still doing some pretty good stuff, you probably have to walk the plank there.”
Klassen, and his co-host Robert Mays, were speaking about the 2026 draft. Aaron Rodgers, or whoever ends up taking snaps for the Steelers in 2025 wouldn’t factor into Klassen’s argument here.
The 2026 draft should be a major chance to finally upgrade the position, though. Pittsburgh has a load of compensatory picks on the way. The Steelers also received a 2026 third-round pick for George Pickens, giving them three picks in that round next year. That certainly provides plenty of trade ammunition, which Pittsburgh will likely need to trade up for a top quarterback prospect.
Klassen’s point shows how dire the situation is. He mentions that it will have been a “decade” since the Steelers figured out the quarterback position. That might be a stretch, since Roethlisberger retired much more recently than a decade ago. However, the crux of his argument, that it’s been far too long since Pittsburgh has had consistent quarterback play, is correct.
It’s hard to have anything consistent when you reset the room every offseason. That’s what Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have done two offseasons in a row now. If Rodgers does end up in Pittsburgh, he could give the Steelers a chance at the playoffs. Potentially, he might even end Pittsburgh’s playoff losing streak. But behind it all, it’s just another one-year rental at the position. And it leads to another offseason in which the Steelers are forced to take yet another shot at the most important position in football.
Really, the 2026 draft is a dire situation for Tomlin and Khan alike. For now, they’re shielded from criticism, because it’s clear they’re targeting next year’s draft for a quarterback. If they can’t land one, though, they’re going to hear plenty of complaints from a fan base that’s already bursting at the seams with frustration. Especially after repeatedly passing on top prospects at the position in 2025.
Mike Tomlin’s contract ends after the 2027 season. There’s a zero-percent chance he leaves for any reason before that. However, that would be two seasons after they presumably select their favorite quarterback prospect in 2026. If the Steelers aren’t any closer to a Super Bowl by then, things could get ugly. At that point, Mike Tomlin’s departure feels like a decently likely scenario.
