Entering Aaron Rodgers' last run, Brendan Sorsby or another bold Steelers QB swing can't be ignored

Two years ago, after the Pittsburgh Steelers had traded Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles and jettisoned Mitchell Trubisky, I spent some time with a senior level decision-maker in the franchise when we broached the topic of the quarterback shakeup. The coaching staff and front office had grown frustrated with the offensive limitations experienced with Pickett and Trubisky, watching that tandem — along with a few starts from veteran Mason Rudolph — fail to deliver the breakthrough the organization badly needed. Over a two-year span, nobody from the quarterback room had thrown more than seven touchdown passes in a season, creating more questions than answers about then-offensive coordinator Matt Canada, along with creeping worries about scheme and talent limitations.

The response from the Steelers was to reach for a three-pronged stab at a permanent fix: Canada was fired and replaced by Arthur Smith; Russell Wilson was signed to a one-year bargain basement veteran minimum contract; and Justin Fields was acquired from the Chicago Bears for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. The belief was that one of the two quarterbacks would click with Smith and provide the long-term solution the Steelers desperately wanted to find. So much so, this particular member of Pittsburgh’s brain trust confidently declared that the Steelers’ 2025 starter was already in the 2024 quarterback room.

All that was left to do was sort out whether it was Fields or Wilson. As the source put it at the time, “We know what we don’t want to be. ” What exactly was that?

In a word: limited. Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament For various reasons, that’s exactly what Pickett, Trubisky and Rudolph were. It’s why the 2024 offseason became the start of a reboot that is still in motion — even with the return of Aaron Rodgers for his “this is it” final season in 2026 .