Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Pittsburgh Steelers face a critical decision at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers undecided for the 2026 season.
- Pittsburgh could target a high-upside backup currently available from a division rival for a competitive 2026 campaign.
- Acquiring this player would provide immediate stability and competition while preparing for a potential rookie quarterback in 2027.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of slipping deeper into quarterback purgatory as they wait for Aaron Rodgers to decide whether or not he wants to take one last run before hanging up his cleats. If head coach Mike McCarthy can't convince Rodgers, his team will be stuck with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard to lead them for the 2026 campaign — hardly where any would-be contender wants to be.
That combination will do the trick if Pittsburgh is trying to tank for a college prospect like Texas' Arch Manning or Oregon's Dante Moore. But it's not in the Steelers' DNA to wave the white flag like that. Rather, they'll try to win games and inevitably wind up with a top-15 pick anyways, kicking the can even further down the road.
So, why shouldn't general manager Omar Khan take a swing at a bridge QB that at least offers some glimmer of upside, and could give next year's rookie a bit of competition while offering the team an insurance policy if he's not ready or gets injured?
The Steelers could fix their QB woes by wooing Eagles for Tanner McKee
The Philadelphia Eagles were reportedly shopping their backup QB, Tanner McKee, earlier in the offseason, but the supposed asking price of a second-round pick seems to have made potential suitors balk.
Pittsburgh isn't going to cough up a second-rounder despite McKee's proven value as a backup. But there is a compromise Philadelphia would accept that could fix the Steelers' passing quagmire, at least for the 2026 campaign.
Khan has three third-round selections to play with this year, and the earliest of them belonged to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 76 overall. Giving Philadelphia that pick would get the Eagles as close to a second-rounder as possible while not compromising Pittsburgh's own.
McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick, has accrued 597 career passing yards and five touchdowns in six games played. It may not seem like much at a glance, but he's completed 61.4 percent of his passes and earned a career 95.7 passer rating. That's where his value is stored.
The 25-year-old is a high-upside commodity with the ability keep teams competitive if a starter goes down. McKee is only under contract for the 2026 campaign and comes with a mere $1.19 million salary cap hit. He's exactly what the Steelers need.
You can't tell me the team would prefer to keep a 30-year-old Rudolph on the active roster while experimenting with Howard's potential. Make the call and secure the bridge QB as you prepare for the arrival of a Manning or Moore in 2027.