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Every team in the NFL has a pretty good idea of who will be under center for them in Week 1 next season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the exception.
As of now, Mason Rudolph is atop the depth chart at the quarterback position. Rudolph started his career with Pittsburgh and had a few different stints leading the team, but the Steelers let him walk in free agency last year. They then signed him back from the Tennessee Titans this offseason.
The season outlook will be bleak if the Steelers plan on playing Rudolph all year as his track record is far from inspiring. Unfortunately, the Steelers don't have a clear path to adding an upgrade.
They've been linked to Aaron Rodgers, but there is no telling where his head is at, and he very well may settle for retirement. Even if the Steelers sign Rodgers, it isn't like he impressed in his last two seasons with the New York Jets.
Additionally, the Steelers are drafting too late to secure one of the best quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. The team is picking 21st overall in the first round, so Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders will be long off the board by the time that they are up.
A trade up for a top-two pick is something that the Steelers should pursue to ensure that they can find their long-term signal-caller, as they've had a rotating carousel of players at the quarterback position since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Steelers trade proposal for No. 2 pick
Steelers receive: No. 2 pick
Browns receive: No. 21 pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick
It is widely believed that the Titans will select Ward with their first overall pick. That leaves the Browns with pick No. 2 as the team Pittsburgh should try and do business with. The Browns also need a quarterback, which is why they would consider Sanders with their first-round selection.
However, reports have indicated that they may instead settle on Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter with the pick, which means that they either don't like Sanders as a player or are happy with their current quarterback situation. The team traded for Kenny Pickett this offseason, and although he was a backup last season, he was a first-round selection not long ago.
If the Browns don't think that they need a quarterback, then perhaps they'd be willing to trade down knowing that other teams would pay a pretty penny for the chance to move up for Sanders. In this deal, the Browns would add five total draft picks, including two first-rounders.
That's a price a team like the Steelers should be willing to pay in order to figure out their quarterback problem. Most of the rest of the league already has an established star or a young player that they think can become a star. The Steelers have neither, but if they moved up for Sanders, they have a system in place for the Colorado product to thrive right away.
The Steelers are known for having great offensive line play, and they added D.K. Metcalf to the receiving corps in an offseason trade. Additionally Pittsburgh's elite defense can help take some of the burden off of Sanders' shoulders in his rookie season.
The Steelers have never been below .500 with Mike Tomlin at the helm, but they've been missing an elite quarterback who could get them over the hump since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Sanders could be that player.
Would the Browns trade down?
The Browns only won three games last year, so they clearly have holes all over the roster. Adding a bunch of draft capital could make a lot of sense, although the Browns may struggle to justify the move to the recently re-signed Myles Garrett.
The Browns promised their star edge rusher that they'd contend sooner rather than later, and a deal for future draft picks is more of a long-term move.
However, three of the Browns' new picks are in 2025, including the 21st overall pick. This draft class is one of the most stacked in recent memory, especially when it comes to offensive linemen, running backs, receivers, and edge rushing talent, all of which the Browns could use a boost at.
Skipping out on the chance to draft an elite quarterback is risky, but the Browns are keeping their draft plans close to the chest, so it is possible that they don't even view Sanders as a franchise-caliber player. If they don't, then they might think they could get more value from five different draft picks than just one nonquarterback at pick No. 2.
