NFL Rumors: 5 Kirk Cousins landing spots that would make a Super Bowl contender

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

There are fewer things more frustrating in the NFL than having a team capable of making a deep playoff run that is held back by poor quarterback play. The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly fit that bill as their defense and skill position players are good enough to play deep into January but their issue has been at quarterback.

Head coach Mike Tomlin committed to Kenny Pickett as his starter in early January but that is a hard sell since he was benched in the playoffs in favor of backup Mason Rudolph. Pickett didn't progress as the Steelers had hoped in his second season, setting up a critical third year to determine if he will truly be their franchise quarterback.

While there have been cases of late bloomers in NFL history, the odds are against Pickett becoming much better than he is right now. While the Steelers found a way to win a bunch of games with Pickett in 2023, they were outscored by 18 points on the year, which is indicative of good fortune in one-score games that could flip with a few bad bounces next season.

Signing Cousins raises the ceiling of the Steelers significantly since he would give them a quarterback capable of competing with Joe Burrow, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson twice a year. The organization may be content to ride with Pickett again but the better path towards a title involves bringing in Cousins.