This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a big push to make their team a Super Bowl contender again. Over the last few years, they’ve barely been in a playoff game. The Steelers haven’t even won a postseason game since the 2016 season. They’re hoping to change that this year, and after four games, they look to be in a good spot to do that. However, former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz is more pessimistic about them.
“The thing about Pittsburgh is that there’s no hope for 2026,” Schwartz said recently on the Football America podcast. “You’re playing this year to win a Super Bowl, you’re not good enough, and then next year, you have to reset the quarterback position again. It’s a good draft, don’t get me wrong, but now you’re a year older with [T.J.] Watt.
“You’re older with [Cam] Heyward. These pieces on defense are getting older, and this year feels like, in the grand scheme of things, a throwaway year for Pittsburgh, when they could’ve tried to do a little bit more at that quarterback.”
The Steelers went out and signed Aaron Rodgers to be their quarterback for the 2025 season. When looking at their options under center, it would be interesting to hear what more Schwartz thinks they could’ve done.
Neither Justin Fields nor Russell Wilson, who were with the Steelers last year, has looked great this season. Also, none of the other free agent quarterbacks have lit the world on fire. Sam Darnold has been fine, but it’s hard to say he would’ve made the Steelers definite Super Bowl contenders. Just as well, other quarterbacks that got moved, like Geno Smith, haven’t been far and away better than Rodgers.
None of the rookie quarterbacks, including first overall pick Cam Ward, has shined, either. Granted, there’s not a large sample size, so there’s little point in judging them too harshly. However, none of them have instantly elevated their teams significantly yet.
What more could the Steelers have done to be better at quarterback this year? Perhaps they could’ve made a stronger offer for Matthew Stafford, but it was unlikely that the Los Angeles Rams were going to part with him. At least right now, it looks like the Steelers made the right call signing Rodgers.
Additionally, while the Steelers don’t currently have a long-term quarterback solution, that doesn’t mean they don’t have hope for next year. They could end up selecting a quarterback high in the 2026 draft, which might provide them with hope for the future.
Would the Steelers likely be championship contenders in 2026 with a rookie quarterback starting? Probably not, just based on the history of the NFL. However, saying that they have no hope is a stretch. They’re only four games into the 2025 season. The Ravens looked like Super Bowl contenders before the season, but now, they’re 1-3 and badly injured. Things can change quickly in the NFL.
