Former NFL GM Encourages Steelers To Pull Off Pre-Draft Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers need a starting quarterback, and everyone knows it. So with next week’s 2025 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, comes another chance for the franchise to fill the void.

Pittsburgh banked its entire offseason on the chance of landing 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who still hasn’t decided what the plan is moving forward after his free agency meeting with the Steelers over three weeks ago. The risk of fully committing to pursuing Rodgers came with watching last season’s quarterback duo of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson flee in the open market, which brought the franchise to its current state.

Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum claims the best option for Pittsburgh is simple: Trade up before it’s time to draft.

“Do you want to win for today and develop for tomorrow?” Tannenbaum told WTAE’s Andrew Stockey on Wednesday, per Steelers Depot. “I look for a trade to me was Pittsburgh coming up from 21 to the (Chicago) Bears at 10 if Shedeur Sanders is still there. Get Shedeur into your program. Try to go as far as you can with Aaron Rodgers this year and know you have his successor already in your program.”

Tannenbaum continued: “That would be by far their best situation at quarterback since Ben (Roethlisberger) left.”

The Steelers have already met with Sanders, even though it’s improbable that the Colorado product falls outside of the first five picks made. Sanders is among the most hyped-up prospects coming out of the 2025 draft class, plus this offseason has seen teams all across the league desperately scramble for a starting quarterback. The 23-year-old son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is projected to become an elite talent in the near future.

Sanders still needs time to develop, so having a veteran to chaperone the youngster makes all the sense in the world for the Steelers. The problem would be whether or not Rodgers, a personality unlike any other, would be willing to share the locker room alongside his soon-to-be replacement. Rodgers has made it clear that while he believes he can still perform at a high level, everything would have to be on his terms if he plays next season.

That’s a polar opposite approach to Wilson’s from last season. He joined Pittsburgh as a Super Bowl champion and well-established veteran, always willing to make whatever sacrifices the team deemed necessary to better position itself — even if that meant sitting out for Fields. The Steelers would need to consider if Rodgers is willing to replicate that kind of selfless mentality, if rolling the dice on Sanders is their move.

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