ESPN: Sam Darnold Will Be Steelers Starting Quarterback Week 1 Of 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the teams that fans of the NFL have their eyes on during the 2025 offseason, and that is mainly because the franchise is a major player in the quarterback market. The organization does not currently have a starting quarterback under contract for the 2025 season, but there are plenty of options to fill the role. Pittsburgh could be interested in bringing back either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, while external options include Matthew Stafford and even Aaron Rodgers.

The top free agent quarterback is arguably Sam Darnold, but there has not been much buzz around the possibility of him coming to Pittsburgh. The 27-year old quarterback is coming off of his best season as a professional, as he led the Minnesota Vikings to 14 victories in 2024. He also notched his first Pro Bowl appearance while throwing for 35 touchdowns and 4,319 yards. While there hasn't been much noise surrounding Darnold potentially joining the Steelers, ESPN's Seth Walder predicted the veteran quarterback will be starting for Pittsburgh in Week 1 of the 2025 season.

"Keeping Fields is a possibility, but if the Steelers really liked him, why did they continue to play Russell Wilson over him?" Walder asked. "And though I have some healthy skepticism of how Darnold will fare without Kevin O'Connell and Justin Jefferson, he's arguably the best free agent quarterback available. The Steelers land him because they have the most to offer -- a potentially very good defense, winning history under Mike Tomlin and the lack of a top pick (making them less likely to take a first-round rookie)."

A large portion of the fan base in Pittsburgh wants to see Fields become the starting quarterback in 2025, but Darnold is not a bad option if the price is right. The organization might not like Fields as much as is being let on, seeing that he was replaced by Wilson and never returned to the starting role -- even while Wilson struggled to end the year.

Some doubt Darnold's true abilities, and that is because he played under an extremely quarterback-friendly head coach in Kevin O'Connell while throwing to one of the best wide receiver duos in the league in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The quarterback had struggled throughout his career up until joining the Vikings in 2024. 

According to Spotrac, Darnold is projected to receive a four-year deal worth $160 million which comes out to $40 million per season. This would be a serious financial commitment for Pittsburgh, although the organization has plenty of cap space moving forward.

There is still a chance that Darnold won't even be able to enter free agency. The Vikings have an interesting quarterback situation in that they drafted JJ McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he was unable to play during his rookie year due to a knee injury. Darnold stepped up and performed well, so Minnesota is faced with a difficult decision. The organization can place the Franchise Tag on Darnold up until March 4th, but if that doesn't happen, he will likely hit free agency when the new league year begins.

Steelers Would Be Making A Significant Gamble In Signing Sam Darnold

Any team that meets the contract demands for Darnold would be making a gamble, as that is a lot of money to give to a quarterback who has had just one year of true success. This is especially evident when considering he was playing under O'Connell and throwing to Jefferson and Addison as mentioned. There is a chance that what was seen from Darnold in 2024 is what to expect from him moving forward, but it is hard to imagine he will be able to replicate that kind of play in a different situation. 

Pittsburgh would likely be better off finding a cheaper option at quarterback, while not committing to a four-year contract.

Would you like to see Darnold in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!

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