The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of quarterback purgatory at this point, and there is no indication that this frustrating stretch of years will finally end. It's hard for them to get high-quality quarterbacks during the NFL Draft when they constantly select around pick 20 in the first round. The few times that group did bear fruit, the Steelers passed to address other positions with more surefire options. 2027 looks like it will be a generational year for rookie passers, but with how disappointing the last batches have been, nobody truly knows for sure.
Matt Pendleton / Imagn Images
Texas quarterback Arch Manning meets with Bryce Underwood after beating Michigan.
That was once the case for Pittsburgh, but it had a very different ending. While making an appearance on Bussin' With The Boys, former quarterback Eli Manning revealed the interest level Pittsburgh had in him during the 2004 draft process.
"[The Steelers] end up taking Roethlisberger and had great success," Manning said. "I knew they were in the mix for a quarterback, but I didn't know if they would trade up or I would slip to 11."
2004 was projected to be a legendary quarterback class, and it lived up to that billing. After a 6-11 season, the Steelers wanted something more from the quarterback position. Tommy Maddox had talent, but going for another full season with a former XFL passer trying to run the show was not a great plan. What Pittsburgh needed was an ultra-talented signal-caller with loads of upside.
Manning was projected to be the best of this bunch, but he made headlines when he announced that he would never play a single down for the then-San Diego Chargers. They had the first overall pick, so they had to make a decision: take the man who wants nothing to do with them, or pass and select a different quarterback -- which could have led to a stunning fall due to the "character concerns" he suddenly had.
John Marshall Mantel / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (right) standing next to Eli Manning (left) at the 2004 NFL Draft.
That big slide never happened, as the Chargers drafted Manning. That led to the New York Giants drafting Philip Rivers to execute an ultra-rare deal that sent both rookies to the other teams. That left Ben Roethlisberger as the next best quarterback available. Luckily, he fell to pick 11, and the rest is history. He is undoubtedly the best passer of that amazing class now that all of their careers are over.
Steelers Won By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Before the draft, there were rumors that the Giants preferred Roethlisberger over Rivers. However, the Chargers had the opposite feeling, so New York took the last guy they wanted so they could trade for what they believed was the best option. It is unclear whether or not then-General Manager Kevin Colbert was interested in making a move to get any of the three passers or if he wanted to wait and see.
Don Wright / AP photo
Pittsburgh Steelers' former GM Kevin Colbert is still around the organization helping out, but his focus has shifted.
After that whole debacle went down between Manning and Rivers, Colbert did stand pat, and the draft fell perfectly in his favor. The Steelers got Roethlisberger and went on to be an absolutely dominant team throughout the mid-to-late 2000s. In fact, he didn't believe that would ever happen. Thanks to that big draft slide, he has the reputation of a man that built a two-time Super Bowl team with his own hands.
Clearly, he was not interested in trading for Roethlisberger, but as mentioned before, that may or may not have been the case for Manning. We may never know how interested Colbert was in moving up for him. Maybe he was legitimately content with rolling with Maddox for another year and getting more weapons around him, like the Steelers are doing now with their situation.
What do you think about the Steelers having some level of interest in Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
#SteelerNation