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The Steelers are in limbo right now when it comes to the quarterback position, as they don't have a locked-in replacement for Ben Roethlisberger, who's expected to officially retire in the near future. Do you think Mike Tomlin is going to really ride with Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins in 2022?
Big-name quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson have been frequently mentioned as options for the Steelers, but it's unlikely that the Steelers will give up two high draft picks for either quarterback. They just don't have the draft capital to do so.
But what about quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr? They wouldn't have to give up as much, but they both still have big salaries in 2022 that the Steelers will have to take on. Carr is slotted to make a $19,777,519 salary in 2022, while Garoppolo is set to earn a $24,200,000 salary this year.
At his season-ending press conference, Mike Tomlin said "all options are on the table" in regards to replacing Roethlisberger.
Zach Gelb of CBS Sports thinks the Steelers trading for Garoppolo makes sense.
Garoppolo has thrown some costly interceptions against the Cowboys and Packers in this year's playoffs, and isn't an elite quarterback, but he's tough and a proven winner. Say what you want about Jimmy G, but he has the 49ers in the NFC Championship again.
"If you have to give up a second-round pick to get Jimmy Garoppolo as your starting quarterback and avoid Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins for next year, I absolutely think it's worth it," Gelb said. "And also, financially (it's) reasonable. It doesn't tie you up long term. You get one year with Jimmy Garoppolo. If he shows you that he can be the guy, if you go to the playoffs next year, where you went to the playoffs the year with Ben Roethlisberger being a shell of himself. Maybe you talk yourself into a 2-3 year extension for Jimmy G after next season."
Gelb basically thinks Garoppolo could be a stop-gap quarterback for the Steelers and a way bette option than Rudolph. The question is, would the Steelers want to give up a second-round pick and pay $24,200,000 in 2022 for a bridge quarterback?