Ben Roethlisberger is coming back for at least one more season. Mason Rudolph is still the backup quarterback and the Steelers will see if Dwayne Haskins has what it takes to be a successful QB in the NFL.
But that might not be enough for the organization. Could Jets quarterback Sam Darnold also join the QB room?
Sport Illustrated’s Monday Morning QB says that Carolina and Pittsburgh are two possible destinations.
“if the price is right they could see some similarities in how Darnold plays to how their own quarterback did in his early 20s, and thrown Darnold in there to compete to be Ben Roethlisberger’s heir,” MMQB said.
So what would the Steelers have to give up to get Darnold? FanDuel made a hypothetical trade on Monday. Pittsburgh gets Darnold. Jets get the Steelers 2021 2nd round and 6th round draft pick.
With the Steelers needing to fill holes in so many areas, giving up two picks might be too much for the Steelers.
But others think it would make sense for the Steelers to make the deal.
“I would trade a 2nd and a 6th for Darnold in a heartbeat. The J-E-T-S S-T-I-N-K. I have zero faith in them developing a quarterback, so I'm willing to bet on Darnold's talent coming through with another team,” says The Fan’s Kraig Riley. “If I ran a team, I'd never stop acquiring quarterbacks either via the draft of low risk trades. It's the most valuable position in the league and I'd rather have too many of them than too few.”
Colin Dunlap says he would’ve made the move “yesterday.”
But Dunlap’s Fan Morning Show co-host Chris Mack says he would only give up a 4th round pick, adding they already have two quarterbacks that don’t know enough about in Rudolph and Haskins.
The Fan's Jeff Hathhorn isn't impressed.
"Sam Darnold is just another quarterback who happened to be taken in the first round by the biggest media market in the United States. Yes, the Jets stink. But so do the Bengals and any question that Joe Burrow is five times the quarterback as Darnold is not up for debate," says Hathhorn.
No franchise values its draft picks more than the Steelers. To trade anything above a fifth rounder for a shot at Darnold makes no sense. The days of slow footed Neil O'Donnell's has passed, it's not time for another one.
The former 3rd overall draft pick, threw nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions along with 2,208 passing yards. New York finished last in the AFC East with a horrible 2-14.