Last offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their quarterback room by trading former first-round pick Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. In doing so, the Steelers replaced their former potential franchise quarterback by signing Russell Wilson to a veteran minimum contract and trading a 2025 fourth-round selection for Justin Fields.
The combo, along with hiring Arthur Smith as Pittsburgh’s new offensive coordinator and play-caller, helped the Steelers’ offense improve from one that ranked 28th in scoring in 2023 to one that ranked 16th in 2024.
It was a stark improvement, but now the Steelers head back to the drawing board with both Wilson and Fields set for free agency. In other words, there’s guaranteed to be some Steelers news involving a quarterback this offseason. It’s only a matter of when.
Until then, all we can do is speculate on the latest batch of Steelers rumors involving their next potential quarterback.
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Pittsburgh Steelers trade idea sends Derek Carr to Steel City
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have several quarterback options this offseason. Yet, if they prefer to solve this issue in free agency, their best choices could include Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, two players they’re already familiar with.
Other possible options in free agency could include Sam Darnold after a Pro Bowl season or even Kirk Cousins if the Atlanta Falcons move on. The same goes for Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
Yet, if the Steelers are willing to make a trade to find their next quarterback, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport suggests trading for Derek Carr from the New Orleans Saints. Davenport urges the Steelers to offer a 2025 fourth-round pick plus a 2026 conditional draft pick in exchange for Carr.
“Carr’s willingness to restructure could be swayed by the opportunity to play for a contender. And as the Steelers showed in 2024, they don’t need an elite quarterback to be one. Steelers fans might not be enthused about another retread quarterback. But in 2024, Carr threw three times as many interceptions as touchdowns and posted a passer rating of 101.0. Carr could be the best veteran option whom they can reasonably get their hands on. And if the Saints can get some cap relief and jump-start their rebuild, general manager Mickey Loomis should be willing to deal Carr.”
Bleacher Report on Pittsburgh Steelers Derek Carr trade
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Carr has two seasons left on a two-year, $150 million contract extension, where he’s set to have a $51.4 million cap hit in 2025. That number balloons to $61.4 million in 2026.
It’s worth noting that Carr has a no-trade clause. Yet, who wouldn’t want to join forces with Mike Tomlin? He’s one of the 20 best coaches in NFL history and has never had a losing season across 18 years in the league. Carr has yet to win a Super Bowl and he’d likely have a much better chance of reaching his goals in Pittsburgh as opposed to New Orleans.
