Ranking the Steelers’ quarterback options for the 2025 season

Without quality quarterback play in the NFL there is pretty much no chance of seriously competing for a Super Bowl. This is bad news for the Pittsburgh Steelers for two reasons.

The first is they have not had top-tier quarterback play for about five or six years now going back to the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era in 2021.

The second is they currently do not have a single quarterback under contract for the 2025 season, as Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen are all unrestricted free agents this offseason. 

With their need for a quarterback solution being what it is, let’s power rank some of the options that could be available to them this offseason. 

This is not a ranking on who is likely to be the quarterback, but rather a ranking of the quarterbacks that would be the best fit and give them the best chance to compete.

1. Matthew Stafford

Stafford is the one quarterback in the NFL this offseason that could realistically be available, and might be good enough to instantly elevate the Steelers to Super Bowl contender status. He might be in his late 30s with a lot of mileage on his body, but he can still play at an extremely high-level. 

If he is available, the Steelers should be calling.

The downside here is that this would be an extreme long shot because the trade compensation and salary demands would probably be more than the Steelers want to pay. It is a dream scenario. Maybe even a fantasy. It is the best fantasy, though.

2. Justin Fields

Fields is already familiar with the Steelers and found success with the team early in the 2024 season, leading them to a 4-2 record before he was benched for Wilson. 

His passing remains inconsistent, but he dramatically cut down on the turnovers with the Steelers, brings the mobility head coach Mike Tomlin is craving at the position and should not break the bank financially, potentially allow the Steelers to build a strong team around him with the additional salary cap space.

3. A rookie

This is far from an ideal scenario because not only is this a weak class for quarterbacks, they are likely to be out of range of the top two quarterbacks in the draft (Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders). The next tier of quarterbacks in the class are projects that would require a ton of patience. Could they get aggressive and trade up? It might not be the worst idea if you really like one, and one of them slides a little. 

4. Russell Wilson

This is where things start to really get bleak. The one positive thing that Wilson had going for him with the Steelers in 2024 is that he came cheap and gave them salary cap flexibility. He might not be as cheap this offseason, and he also demonstrated quite clearly that he does not have much left in the tank. 

An important lesson to keep in mind for future reference: If an NFL team is willing to pay a quarterback $50M to not play for them, there is probably a good reason why. 

5. Sam Darnold

Darnold was one of the biggest surprise success stories in the NFL in 2024, stepping into the Minnesota Vikings lineup and playing the best football of his career. He also played himself into a huge contract this offseason and there is no guarantee he ever duplicates that performance again, especially if he does not have that same wide receiver group around him. 

6. Aaron Rodgers

The worst idea imaginable. Rodgers will turn 42 years old this season, has won just 13 of the past 34 games he has started and finished, looks to be completely washed up and would bring endless distractions that the Steelers (or any team) simply do not need. Avoid at all costs.