The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some splashy moves this offseason in an attempt to win in 2025. But for a team without a long-term plan at quarterback, there’s been some criticism that the Steelers aren’t just punting on the season for a chance at a high draft pick. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on UnSportsmanlike on Wednesday morning that going through a rebuild is something the Steelers are never going to do.
“I think the Steelers logic is we’re never gonna rebuild. Look at the Giants last year, they won four games, didn’t even get the number one pick out of it in a draft that only had one surefire quarterback in Cam Ward. Going that way is just not an option for Pittsburgh, they’re just never going to lean into that. That’s not their way, they feel it’s miserable. They’re gonna try to win even if they’re inferior at say, the quarterback position, which they have been,” Fowler said.
There hasn’t been a reason for the Steelers to fully rebuild in a long time. There have been a few blips and a few bad seasons since Bill Cowher took over, like the 6-10 team in 2003, which netted them the 11th pick and Ben Roethlisberger. Mike Tomlin has never had a below .500 season, so there’s never been a real reason for the Steelers to go that route. The 2003 season is a good example for Fowler’s point – the Steelers won six games and didn’t draft in the top 10. They got lucky that a generational quarterback fell to them.
There are always teams looking to rebuild or tank, and just because the Steelers could go that route, doesn’t ensure they’ll get as high of a draft pick as they want. There’s inherent risk involved in doing so, and they clearly feel that trying to compete is the best strategy. While it could mean they draft in the 20s next year instead of in the teens, the Steelers also have a lot of 2026 draft capital as ammo to try and move up if necessary.
For as frustrating as it can be for the fanbase to watch the Steelers struggle in the postseason and their inability to truly contend recently, watching a four-win team with no guarantee of a light at the end of the tunnel would be much, much worse.
A lot of teams that make the conscious choice to rebuild are perpetually rebuilding. While it’s worked out in some cases (the Washington Commanders last year being a recent example), it’s not a surefire fix to a team and the Steelers like the talent they’ve added this offseason. If they think they can make some noise, they will, and going through a rebuild isn’t something the Rooney family and Pittsburgh’s front office will ever choose to do.
