The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been without consistent play at the quarterback position. While the 2025 NFL Draft is seen as a down year at the position, one report suggested the organization has taken an interest in one prospect, whom they see as a potential first-round talent.
Steelers fans voiced their displeasure with the report.
Steelers’ Reported Interest in Alabama QB Jalen Milroe Met With Resistance From Fans
The Steelers finished the 2024 season with a 10-7 record and eventually fell in the AFC Wild Card Round to their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
The quarterbacks who led the way were Justin Fields — who went 4-2 in his six starts — and Russell Wilson. Wilson replaced Fields as the starter in Week 7 and led the Steelers to wins in six of his first seven starts before faltering in December and January, losing the last five games.
Each signal-caller showed promise in the opportunities they got. Fields was in the final year of his rookie contract, and Wilson signed a one-year deal prior to the season, meaning Pittsburgh’s QB position is currently bare.
They’re expected to re-sign at least one of them, but the looming question mark of a long-term starter remains.
Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, located in Pittsburgh, suggested the Steelers have their eyes on a certain quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“There are Steelers scouts who ‘love’ Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Believe he’s a 1st round talent. And potential franchise quarterback.”
Fillapponi continued, “Mike Tomlin will see him next week at the Senior Bowl. Stay tuned.”
Tomlin, Pittsburgh’s head coach for the last 18 seasons, has had to deal with subpar play at the game’s most important position since the latter years of Ben Roethlisberger’s career. Since 2019, the Steelers have trotted out seven different quarterbacks, which is not exactly a recipe for success.
But the success has been there record-wise; in those six seasons, they’ve posted a 58-41 record, making the playoffs four times. However, they lost each opening-round playoff game by double-digits.
One Steelers fan seemed to take offense to the report that the Steelers were interested in Milroe. They responded to Fillipponi’s post by simply typing, “Hell no.”
KEEP READING: Where Does Milroe Land in Our 2025 NFL Draft QB Rankings?
But why?
If the Steelers aren’t able to secure a deal for a long-term solution at the quarterback position through free agency, it won’t hurt to try their luck at a rookie like Milroe.
As the Alabama starter for much of the past two seasons, Milroe has been viewed as a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect. His deep-ball accuracy and athletic ability are his strengths, while he’s proven to be turnover-prone, and questions have been raised about his accuracy over the middle of the field.
Milroe’s lack of improvement from the 2023 season, in which he threw 23 touchdowns to only six interceptions, to 2024 (16 TDs to 11 INTs) is also a concern. While that may have been a result of his uptick in rushing scores — 12 in 2023 to 20 in 2024 — his deficiencies were still evident.
Milroe will likely have the most success in the NFL if an offense is crafted to his strengths, much like the approach the Ravens took with dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson and similar to the way the Steelers handled Field’s six starts early in the season.
The bottom line is that the Steelers need a long-term answer at QB, one that they likely didn’t have on their roster in 2024. If Tomlin likes what he sees from Milroe at the Senior Bowl, don’t be surprised if they take a chance on the former Crimson Tide signal-caller.
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