The Pittsburgh Steelers have not had a losing record in head coach Mike Tomlin’s 18 years at the helm, but ESPN analyst and former Steelers safety Ryan Clark urged Pittsburgh to end that streak intentionally.
On ESPN’s “Get Up,” Clark criticized the Steelers for mishandling their offseason and suggested they should tank the 2025 season in order to select Texas quarterback Arch Manning or LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“To me, this isn’t a team that’s ready to compete,” Clark said on Wednesday, via On3. “Which I’m fine with because I felt like you didn’t make a decision to get a quarterback in the draft. Maybe your evaluation was that none of them were good enough and that Aaron Rodgers was better, but if you’re gonna suck, suck all the way. Let’s go get Arch or let’s go get Nussmeier.”
Ryan Clark suggests Steelers should tank for Arch Manning
Clark spent eight seasons of his playing career with the Steelers and helped bring the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII. Although he has remained a staunch supporter of his former team, his faith in Pittsburgh’s chances clearly wavered after they traded star wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys this week.
To some extent, Clark has a fair point. After desperately searching for a consistent target to pair with Pickens, the Steelers acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this offseason. Now, they’re back to only having one reliable wide receiver.
The trade also isn’t likely to inspire veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to join the Steelers. Pittsburgh passed up other available quarterbacks in free agency, instead choosing to patiently wait on the four-time MVP to make a decision regarding his future.
Tomlin has a stellar 183-107-2 record (.630) in the regular season, but that success is being overshadowed by his losing record in the playoffs. Tomlin has an 8-11 postseason record (.421), with a majority of those losses occurring in recent years. The Steelers have lost six consecutive playoff games over the past eight seasons, and the roster has visibly decayed during that span.
Steelers need their quarterback of the future
While Clark’s frustration about Pittsburgh’s offseason is understandable, tanking for Manning is not necessarily a guaranteed solution. As the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch Manning has naturally drawn plenty of buzz and excitement, but there is no guarantee that he will be an elite quarterback prospect. In fact, he may not even enter the draft next offseason. Manning is expected to become the starter at Texas in his upcoming junior season, but whether or not he’s worthy of a top draft pick is yet to be determined.
The Steelers selected Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he’s not expected to be ready to become an immediate starter. The Steelers also added veteran quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson in free agency, but both are clear downgrades from last year’s quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.