NFL Rumors: Kirk Cousins-Steelers buzz, Fields to Patriots, Aiyuk suitor

NFL Rumors: Kirk Cousins interested in Steelers

The last time that the Pittsburgh Steelers had good quarterback play was probably in the 2018 season when Ben Roethlisberger threw for over 5,000 yards. Since then, they've had a carousel of quarterbacks at the helm including guys like Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky who have simply not panned out.

The Steelers have ranked towards the bottom of the league in points scored in four of the last five years, ranking 26th this past season. They've found a way to make the playoffs in three of those five years and finish at or above .500 in all of them because of their defense and Mike Tomlin's regular season wizardry, but we've seen how low their ceiling is. They've lost by multiple scores in each of their last three playoff losses, and don't have a playoff win since the 2017 AFC Divisional Round.

For the Steelers to take a meaningful step, they're going to need an upgrade at the quarterback position. Kenny Pickett has shown occasional flashes, but for the most part, he's been incredibly underwhelming in his 25 NFL appearances (24 starts). There's every reason to believe that the Steelers will roll with the 25-year-old as their starter once again in the 2024 season. Tomlin even said that is their plan. However, they should think long and hard about that, especially if a guy like Kirk Cousins is available.

Cousins might not have the best reputation for whatever reason, but he's proven himself to be a really strong option at the quarterback position. This past season was looking like one of his best as he had completed 69.5% of his passes for 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to five interceptions in just eight games played.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes that Cousins is keeping an eye on the Steelers as a possible landing spot, and says that the interest might even be mutual. It'd be expensive, but Cousins being a free agent means it'd only take cap space for them to sign him, making him potentially more attractive than a guy like Justin Fields who'd require a trade.

Upgrading from the Pickett/Rudolph/Trubisky trio with Cousins on this Steelers team that went 10-7 this past season could make things very interesting in a really tough AFC North.