As things stand, veteran backup Mason Rudolph is set to be the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 Week 1 starting quarterback. 2022 seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson is the only other signal-caller on the roster. Not great, to put it mildly.
The Steelers' options to solve their problems under center this offseason are running thin. As they ever-so-patiently wait for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers to decide if he'll be the (short-term) solution, there's only one viable alternative: The 2025 NFL Draft.
Holding the No. 21 overall selection, Pittsburgh has done its due diligence on many of the top passers of this year's prospect pool. But the expectation has been that they'd be out of range for Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart -- until recently. Recent intel from Mike DeFabo and Dane Brugler of The Athletic ($) suggests both could be in play for the Steelers, namely the former.
Shedeur Sanders could fall to Steelers but things could change over the next two weeks
The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants "aren’t going to give away their plans," Brugler prefaced his comments by noting. Both clubs are near the top of the board (No. 2 and No. 3, respectively) and are searching for their next franchise thrower. They've each been heavily linked to Sanders but seem likely to "pass on" the Colorado product.
Moreover, Brugler believes the New Orleans Saints won't take Sanders either, even though they recently became the odds-on betting favorites to choose him. If they don't pull the trigger at No. 9, there aren't many clear-cut destinations before the Steelers are on the clock. With that in mind, the 23-year-old might land in Pittsburgh's lap.
Yet, Brugler ostensibly doesn't want to get Steeler Nation riled up. He emphasized that "this is April," and teams keep cards close to their chest around this time. Rival front offices "aren't 100 percent sure what they are doing yet and will be keeping everything hush-hush," making this a situation "in flux."
Put simply, it's still entirely too early in the draft process, even just two weeks away from the start of the first round and the Tennessee Titans coming on the clock, for Steelers fans to start buying their Shedeur Sanders jerseys.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has openly said he's "comfortable" with Rudolph sitting atop Pittsburgh's QB depth chart this coming season. That will be tested in late April, especially if Sanders is available.