Free agents, draft prospects abound as Steelers weigh best way to land quarterback

Trades involving high-profile quarterbacks returned to fashion last offseason with the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions swapping starters Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff and the Philadelphia Eagles sending Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.

Such deals don’t come along every offseason, and they are even rarer when they involve the Pittsburgh Steelers. One would have to go back to 1958 when the Steelers acquired Bobby Layne from Detroit to find the last time they landed a veteran with Hall of Fame credentials. And the last deal involving a quarterback with Super Bowl experience came in 1984 when, after bypassing Dan Marino in the draft a year earlier, the Steelers dealt for his predecessor on the Miami Dolphins, David Woodley.

Which makes it unlikely the Steelers will find Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement by pursuing Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson in the offseason. Or even two others presented by oddsmakers: Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Such trades would require the Steelers to part with the draft capital necessary to fill the franchise’s voids on the offensive and defensive lines. Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t rule anything out at his season-ending press conference, saying “all options are on the table.”

Tomlin, though, reiterated the two “major” ways the Steelers can add to a position group that includes Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.

“You do it through free agency, and you do it through the draft,” Tomlin said. “We have to look at what’s available to us in the draft, positionally. We have to look at what’s available to us potentially in free agency, positionally. And then we kind of bring those two discussions together, and it kind of gives us a path in which to go about addressing our needs.”

Rudolph and Haskins have been told they will compete for the starting job in training camp. The question is whether the Steelers add a veteran or a prospect to the mix.

Free agency

The league year begins March 16, and here are several quarterbacks who could be hitting the open market:

Teddy Bridgewater

2021 base salary: $4.25 million

Pros: Started 14 games this season with Denver and 15 in 2020 with Carolina. He set a career high with 18 touchdown passes in 2021.

Cons: Bridgewater was concussed twice this past season and finished the year on injured reserve. He also has played for four teams in seven years, never quite living up to his potential as a former first-round pick.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

2021 base salary: $3 million

Pros: He would bring experience to the position room, having made 147 starts in 17 seasons, and he passed for 3,500 yards as recently as 2019.

Cons: He’s only about eight months younger than the 39-year-old Roethlisberger and started just one game for Washington in 2021.

Jameis Winston

2021 base salary: $1 million (with two void years on contract)

Pros: He is still only 28 years old and has seven years of experience with Tampa Bay and New Orleans. He was 5-2 as starter with Saints, tossing 14 TDs against three interceptions.

Cons: Suffered season-ending ACL tear in November. Threw an NFL-high 30 interceptions with Tampa Bay in 2019.

Cam Newton

2021 base salary: $4.5 million

Pros: He has made 144 starts in 11 seasons and has appeared in a Super Bowl. Would bring mobility to the position, which Tomlin covets.

Cons: After returning to Carolina in midseason, he went 0-5 as a starter and was replaced when Sam Darnold returned to health.

Marcus Mariota

2021 base salary: $3.5 million

Pros: He would be accepting of a backup role based on two years playing behind David Carr in Las Vegas. Brings mobility.

Cons: Former first-rounder never lived up to potential and has attempted only 30 passes over the past two years.

Draft

The first round will be held April 28, six weeks after free agency starts. In 2004, Roethlisberger was the last first-rounder drafted by the Steelers, who hold the No. 20 pick this year.

Kenny Pickett, Pitt

Pros: He was a Heisman Trophy finalist after finishing as Pitt’s career passing leader and setting an ACC record for touchdown passes in a season.

Cons: He likely won’t be on the board when the Steelers make their first pick.

Matt Corral, Mississippi

Pros: He’s a mobile quarterback who cut down his turnovers significantly in 2021, throwing five picks as opposed to 14 in 2020.

Cons: His college career ended with a scary ankle sprain that, had it been more serious, could have hurt his draft standing as a first-rounder.

Malik Willis, Liberty

Pros: He was the FBS top rushing quarterback in 2019, and he showed off his arm in 2020 by throwing a school-record 27 touchdown passes.

Cons: He could be knocked for dominating at a lower level of competition, and he threw six interceptions over his final three regular-season games.

Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

Pros: He is a winner, having compiled a 41-5 record for the Bearcats and leading them to the college playoffs in 2021. He accounted for 116 touchdowns in his career.

Cons: He has a slender frame and, like Willis, dominated against non-Power 5 competition.

Sam Howell, North Carolina

Pros: In 2020, the year before Pickett took the ACC by storm, Howell led the conference in passing yards and touchdown passes.

Cons: With North Carolina losing several top targets, Howell’s numbers dipped in his junior season, and he got off to a slow start.