Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers relied on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as their starting quarterbacks. Neither are under contract for 2025.
Reports suggest the Steelers are open to re-signing Fields or Wilson, but likely not both again. However, if they move forward with Wilson, who’s 36 years old, the team likely wants some sort of potential long-term solution on the roster.
Could the Steelers even add their possible QB of the future in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft?
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Pittsburgh Steelers sleepers to draft Shedeur Sanders?
The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Yet, most analysts suspect there could only be two quarterback prospects worthy of a first-round selection this year. Those two are University of Miami’s Cam Ward, who’s in play to be the No. 1 overall pick, and University of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
However, like Ward, Sanders isn’t expected to be available by the time the Steelers are on the clock in April. Yet, we’ve seen draft-day slips before, and there’s always the possibility of Pittsburgh trading up too.
Recently, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm suggested the Steelers would be the “best wild-card option” to select Sanders on April 24, provided the QB is still available.
“Why not the Steelers? They’re the best wild-card option right now in my mind, even if it would be a stretch to rank them among the favorites here. At this moment, it feels like the Steelers are too far removed from the action, sitting with the 21st overall pick, to make a play for Sanders. But I would argue there is no guarantee that Sanders can’t slide a bit. Even in a draft where he and Ward are viewed as the top two options, QB-needy teams on this list might go for veterans at the position, pursuing players such as Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers or Wilson.
The Steelers selected Kenny Pickett in a similar range (No. 20 overall) three years ago. That didn’t work out, but we can assume their pursuit of a starting quarterback remains active until, well, they find a starting quarterback, and Sanders would have a pretty strong supporting cast in Pittsburgh. All that said, it doesn’t feel like the most likely scenario today.”
