The big remaining question for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason is whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will join the team for 2025. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, though, wrote Thursday that Mike Tomlin and company already have their eyes set on the next signal-caller after Rodgers.
“I am not going to attach a specific name to any potential draft pick a year from now, but I will say this: It sure seems like the Steelers will be in a position to make a big move in the 2026 draft to move in range to get a top-end quarterback,” Kaboly wrote. “Right now, it appears that they will have 11 picks in the draft, with two each in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds because of compensatory picks.
“They will have enough capital to move up (unless they win the Super Bowl and pick 32nd next year).”
According to CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr, the New England Patriots have the most 2026 draft picks with 10. But that doesn’t take into account compensatory selections.
Kaboly implied the Steelers may gain four compensatory draft picks in the 2026 draft. That extra capital could play a huge role in the team moving up the board for a signal-caller.
Steelers Looking Ahead to 2026 NFL Draft
NFL draft analysts have criticized the Steelers over the past week for not addressing quarterback before the sixth round. FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd has argued the team made a mistake prioritizing Rodgers this offseason over Shedeur Sanders.
Draft analysts regarded Sanders as a first-round pick, but in the draft, Sanders fell to the fifth round. The Steelers passed on the Colorado quarterback three times.
But if Kaboly is correct, Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan have the long game in mind.
The Steelers not drafting Sanders is a strong sign the team was not sold on him as a top quarterback prospect. With no other elite prospects behind center after Cam Ward, Khan addressed the team’s other top needs before the sixth round.
Pundits regarded the 2025 quarterback class as a weak group. The last time the Steelers selected a signal-caller in a “weak” quarterback class, they landed Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh traded Pickett less than two years after drafting him.
Instead of trying to find the best quarterback of a weak group, the Steelers could go all-in on a strong 2026 quarterback class.
In 2004, the Steelers drafted the third quarterback of the draft, landing Ben Roethlisberger. “Big Ben” is expected to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame when eligible, as could Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who went off the board before Roethlisberger in the same draft.
Will Mike Tomlin Be All-In on 2026 QB Class?
Let’s be clear, the Steelers aren’t going to tank the 2025 campaign. If losing on purpose is the only way fans consider Pittsburgh “all-in” on getting a quarterback in 2026, then Mike Tomlin isn’t going to be “all-in.”
But besides losing on purpose, Kaboly sees the Steelers as fully planning on getting a franchise quarterback next spring.
“I do believe they will be all in, but the right guy would have to be there,” Kaboly wrote. “There are a lot of variables associated with [trading up], with the biggest one being how far they would have to move up.
“Look at what the Jags gave up moving from fifth overall to second last week to grab Travis Hunter – basically a first-round pick next year and the 36th overall this year. That’s to move three spots.”
The better pick the Steelers earn in 2026, the more likely they can either draft the quarterback they like or trade up for him.
Again, that doesn’t mean they are going to lose on purpose. But it does mean that Khan and Tomlin will make roster decisions for the long-term health of the organization — not with 2025 the top priority.
That’s what the Steelers appear to be doing.
