Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL. That’s been true throughout the modern era.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in NFL quarterback purgatory since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Will they find their signal caller in the 2025 NFL Draft? We’ll know soon. For now, let’s look at who they’ve got.
Steelers Depth Cart at Quarterback: The Starter
As of April 6th 2025 the Pittsburgh Steelers have no starting quarterback.
Yes, Mason Rudolph may get the call on opening day, but his contract says that Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan see him as a backup.
Art Rooney II has said he expects Aaron Rodgers to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. That might happen. Rodgers might also decide he wants to drive a truck. Or play for the Minnesota Vikings, which ever comes first.
Ergo the Steelers have no starting quarterback.
Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart: The Backups
Mason Rudolph returned to Pittsburgh this spring after a one-year hiatus in Tennessee, where he split time with Will Levis. Rudolph went 1-4 as a starter for the Titans and only won won game in relief of Levis.
- That’s not all on Rudolph – the Titans did finish 3-14 for a lot of other reasons.
The Mason Rudolph led the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
In his 21 games with the Steelers, Rudolph has shown himself to be capable of competent, confident quarterback play. He’s a stand up guy, well-respected in the locker room who taken the ups and downs of an NFL quarterback must endure and remained standing.
IF Rudolph starting, the Steelers could manage a respectable record, but at this point he projects as a backup quarterback.
For the record, the Steelers also have Skylar Thompson on their roster. The Miami Dolphins drafted him in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and Thompson appeared in 10 games, including 3 starts completing 81 of 138 passes with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.
The Steelers 2023 Quarterback Draft Needs
The Pittsburgh Steelers need a quarterback. That’s true today and it will be true even if Aaron Rodgers signs.
But is the 2025 NFL Draft the place to get one? The 2022 NFL Draft was said to be quarterback-weak, and the Steelers bucked conventional wisdom and drafted Kenny Pickett. Two years later they were trading him for a duce of 7th round picks.
Rodgers, at age 42, isn’t a long-term answer, even if he ends up getting a more than one year deal that reports indicate he is seeking. Nonetheless, signing him will change the Steelers draft calculus.
The Steelers clearly need another quarterback on their roster besides Rudolph or Thompson, and veteran free agent options are slim. If Rodgers does bring his sideshow to Pittsburgh, then the Steelers can let the draft come to them, and grab quarterback in the 3rd or 4th round.
If not, they made need to reach.
But Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned, so the Steelers needs at quarterback going into the 2025 NFL Draft must be considered as Urgent.
