It turns out that hiring Aaron Rodgers' former head coach might not actually mean Rodgers plans to stick around with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It looks likely that the Steelers are back in the quarterback market, a familiar place for this franchise over the past half-decade or so.
One name that the Steelers should absolutely ask about, even if he's unlikely be moved? Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. After a disastrous playoff run that saw him fumble five times in one game, then throw four interceptions in the next one, there's doubt about whether Stroud has what it takes to lead the Texans to a title. Is that doubt enough to convince Houston it should actually trade Stroud, though? We'll have to see on that one.
The Steelers likely need an Aaron Rodgers replacement
Ever since the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers have let the quarterback position come to them rather than going out and making a big move. That hasn't worked: Kenny Pickett was a wasted first-round pick, and low-risk moves for veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers just kicked the can down the road.
Sure, the Steelers can do exactly what they did with Pickett all over again in 2026, waiting for a quarterback to fall to them late in the first round. In this case, that quarterback would probably be Alabama's Ty Simpson, and the result is likely just a slightly less depressing version of the Pickett pick. Simpson will be better, but there's no guarantee he'll actually be good, especially considering his fall-off at the end of the Tide's season.
Or Pittsburgh can get involved in the Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa trade sweepstakes. There's an obvious "right" one to trade for if you go that route, and yes — I used the word "right" for a reason, because the right-handed QB, Murray, at least has a chance to bounce back and be an effective NFL quarterback moving forward. I don't believe the same about Tagovailoa.
Still, Murray is entering his eighth season and has dealt with injury issues in two of the past three years, so there's a good chance that dealing for him simply continues the Tomlin era tradition of making bad decisions at quarterback. The only player available in free agency who can be a long-term starter is Malik Willis, who played well in his brief action with the Packers this year. Willis will have plenty of suitors, though, and he has a significantly worse track record than Stroud.
Career Stats | Starts | Completion Percentage | Passing Yards | Passing Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Malik Willis | 6 | 67.7 | 1,322 | 6 |
C.J. Stroud | 46 | 63.8 | 10,876 | 62 |
Past success does not guarantee future success, just as past failure doesn't guarantee future failure. However, if the Steelers want a sure thing under center for the Mike McCarthy era, it's clear who is the better option, even if acquiring him will be much more difficult.
Why would Houston trade C.J. Stroud?
C.J. Stroud is entering his fourth NFL season. Add in a fifth-year option in 2027, and that means Houston has two more years to decide if Stroud is worthy of a massive extension. And honestly, they probably need to know before then to avoid a situation where they might be forced to use the franchise tag. If he's not definitively the guy after next season, it will be time to explore a move.
But what if you look at that playoff performance and decide that you don't need another year? This front office could very well talk itself into the belief that trading Stroud is the right call here. You likely get more in a trade for him now, since the team getting him will have him on a rookie deal still, and it opens up space to go ahead and make the necessary moves to lock up as much of this elite defense as possible.
On the flip side, it also leaves Houston without a quarterback. I know Davis Mills played well when Stroud was out for a stretch during the season, but are you risking a season with a championship-caliber defense going awry because Mills is your quarterback? I recently suggested Houston as a potential home for Derek Carr if he unretired and stand by that as an option, but beyond that, it's like ... do you trade for a year of Murray or Tagovailoa to see if they can step into Stroud's shoes?
It also makes the 2027 offseason crucial, because the team will almost have to aggressively target a young quarterback then, right? Trading Stroud creates so many ripple effects, and personally, as a Texans fan, I don't want to deal with those ripple effects. The Texans should keep him. They likely will. The window does, though, seem open if a team is willing to bowl Houston over with a huge offer.
What a Steelers-Texans trade for Stroud looks like
This is the foundation of what it would require: three first-round picks as well as a second. Additional contracts may need to be involved to make things work, depending on cap situations at the time of the deal, but those wouldn't be huge names or anything.
As much as Houston is likely concerned about Stroud's future and the ability to win a Super Bowl with him, he's still a guy on a rookie deal who has led his team to three playoff appearances and has three playoff wins. Other teams that need a quarterback will 100 percent be in a bidding war if he actually ends up on the market. He could stall out his progression and wind up as just a borderline top-20 quarterback going forward, in which case this is an overpay considering you like don't win Super Bowls with guys like that — OK, sure, the Seahawks like two weeks ago, but usually you don't.
Or, it's possible all Stroud really needs is a change of scenery. In his new digs, he starts playing with the looseness of his rookie campaign, when he wasn't afraid to try the home-run throw down the field, and when it looked like the Texans had managed to nab a franchise-altering quarterback. Paired with McCarthy, Stroud blooms into a top-10 player at the position, and the Steelers are suddenly real contenders. At that point, you don't care at all about the picks you traded.
It's a risky trade for all involved, one that immediately changes the direction of both franchises. That's why it probably won't happen. But what if, you know? What if we saw something wild develop here before the draft?