The Pittsburgh Steelers could have been one of the teams in on taking a quarterback in the first round during the 2025 NFL Draft. Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers was purely speculation at that point, but certain figure heads within the building probably knew the four-time MVP was likely to land in Pittsburgh eventually. Regardless of that, the Steelers still could have picked a quarterback towards the beginning of the draft and had him learn behind Rodgers for a season.
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Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh did end up picking a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft in Will Howard, who was coming off of a National Championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He fell to the sixth round, which was a bit surprising to some people. He is sitting back and learning from Rodgers during his rookie year currently, but there aren't many high expectations that he could be the quarterback of the future in Pittsburgh.
One quarterback the Steelers did pass on was Jaxson Dart, who has been the best rookie quarterback by far through his first four starts for the New York Giants. Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio had a message for teams that passed on the rookie during his press conference on Wednesday, who the Giants drafted with the 25th overall pick.
"The teams that needed quarterbacks that bypassed him, they're going to regret that," Fangio said.
The Steelers picked defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick, so they fit the mold as a quarterback-needy team that passed on Dart. Harmon has proved to be a good selection thus far and the coaching staff has extremely high hopes for the young defender, but passing on a potential franchise quarterback is never a good look for any organization. Especially one that has had a different opening day starter in each of the last three seasons.
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Giants' Jaxson Dart throws the ball during the 2025 Scouting Combine.
Fangio's Eagles played the Giants and Dart just two weeks ago, and the defending champs got destroyed by New York. Dart led his team to a 34-17 victory, and the two sides clash again in Week 8. Fangio obviously thinks highly of the quarterback, who threw for a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in the win over Philadelphia.
Dart has started the last four games for the Giants after surpassing Russell Wilson on the depth chart, and he has a 2-2 record as the starting quarterback. He has injected a ton of hope into the organization as it had a bleak outlook on the future for quite some time. By no means has Dart been perfect, but he has shown exactly what a team would want to see from its rookie quarterback. The Steelers could end up regretting passing on Dart, especially since the organization did its due diligence on the quarterback and even had him in for a pre-draft visit.
Steelers Will Hope Will Howard Or Another Young Quarterback Works Out
The expectations for Howard are low, but he has all of the physical traits of a starting quarterback in the NFL. He has a strong and sturdy stature while also possessing the ability to use his legs when needed. As mentioned, he was a sixth-round selection, so if the organization has a chance to draft a quarterback with a high pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, it might take that opportunity.
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Steelers quarterback Will Howard gets ready to unleash a pass as he works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Rodgers could retire after the 2025 season, which would leave the Steelers with a big question mark at quarterback. Howard could find a way to step into the starting role and surprise some people, or the organization could turn to a rookie. However, if neither options works out, Pittsburgh could be looking back at passing on Dart with a ton of regret.
What do you think about the Steelers passing on Dart? Let us know in the comments below!
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