The Pittsburgh Steelers just finished watching the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. What they saw from the quarterback position was a lot of raw, exciting talent. The speed, arm strength, and athleticism of many of these prospects is undeniable. What is also undeniable is the fact that nearly all of them severely lack the mechanics to be a quality option in the next year or two, so Pittsburgh may just look to free agency to find its starter for the upcoming season, and there are a handful of names out there that it could be interested in.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
The big fish in this free agency class is Malik Willis, and recent reports have said that his price tag has been cut in half from an absurd $40 million per year. However, insider Brian Batko doesn't think that's enough to get the Steelers on board, as he mentioned in his most recent Q&A chat.
"I like Malik Willis a lot and I'm of the mind[set] that you can't discount what the guy did last year (and even the previous year), despite a small sample size. Sometimes you just have to trust what you're watching," Batko said. "So yeah, sure, at the right price, I absolutely believe the Steelers should be interested, but I don't think they're going to pay him what it's going to take. Just look at this franchise's QB moves in recent years. It's pretty clear they believe more in the power of a good price than swinging for the fences with their fingers crossed."
Batko is not wrong. The last four quarterback acquisitions excluding the draft have all been big names (also excluding Kyle Allen), but at extremely reduced prices. Aaron Rodgers, who was the largest acquisition in this group, came at just a one-year deal worth up to $14 million. He is the only one to crack eight figures annually, and if the Steelers get their wish, that trend will continue for 2026 and beyond.
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New Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy stands next to quarterback Aaron Rodgers during their days together in Green Bay.
The next largest contract was Mitch Trubisky in 2022, who was seen as a bridge quarterback and a mentor for Kenny Pickett. His original contract was for two years at about $7.1 million per year. He did receive an extension after a few quality games in relief of Pickett, but he was cut after he showed a lot of regression in the 2023 season. Money did not seem to be the reason for his departure.
Russell Wilson came as the cheapest, as the sheer amount of money he was still making with the Denver Broncos made it so he could sign for the veteran minimum elsewhere. Once he came back from a training camp injury, he did very well, especially for a $1.2 million salary, but he fell off hard in the end. Justin Fields, his backup, got acquired for a sixth-round draft pick, and he was still on his rookie deal that kept his salary very low.
Steelers' Philosophy Makes Sense, But Is Still Flawed
The Steelers' idea with these small quarterback deals is to have a quality passer on the roster while having a ton of money to spend on upgrades all over the team. Theoretically, all that money would lead to more and better players being signed and traded for, and that would directly lead to the passer having to work less and rely more on everyone around him. In a vacuum, it makes sense.
Associated Press
Former Steelers QB Justin Fields running with the football during training camp while former OC Arthur Smith gets hype in the background.
However, there are some very obvious flaws that come out. The main one is the old saying of "you get what you pay for." By going cheap instead of going for a high-dollar veteran like Sam Darnold, they are getting a guy with much less talent and a ceiling that the Steelers just can't bust through. It may be time to adopt a new philosophy and try to find a future quarterback by gambling big.
What do you think about the Steelers' idea of getting a cheap quarterback? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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