Steelers predicted to pull off blockbuster trade for 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a familiar spot in 2026.

As was the case last offseason, the Steelers are waiting on a decision from Aaron Rodgers and he is easily the biggest domino for Pittsburgh.

If Rodgers retires or decides to play elsewhere, the Steelers will be left with a room that includes Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.

In that scenario, we'd expect the Steelers to make a move for a veteran quarterback, either through trade or free agency.

If the Steelers do find themselves in the market for a new starter, FanSided's Jake Beckman predicts Pittsburgh will pull off a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Cardinals for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Kyler Murray.

"Murray might actually work with the Steelers," Beckman said. "They’re in a mondo-sized transition era right now, and if they don’t run it back with Aaron Rodgers, then they’ll probably just keep throwing garbage at the metaphorical wall the same way they have since Ben Roethlisberger retired."

The current expectation is that the Cardinals will cut ties with Murray this offseason as the team looks to turn the page to a new chapter.

Of course, Arizona will look to trade Murray first, but it's conceivable he'll hit the open market if the Cardinals are unable to find a trade partner. That would obviously be the most ideal scenario for any team interested in Murray.

While we would prefer to see the Steelers draft their next starting quarterback, this year's class is incredibly weak at the position, so that may not be in the cards for Pittsburgh.

We also want to see the Steelers hit the reset button with an aging roster that simply hasn't been good enough to compete for anything meaningful in recent years, but that's not likely to happen after the hire of Mike McCarthy.

Knowing all that, Murray is a realistic option for Pittsburgh if Rodgers retires.

He isn't elite by any stretch, but Murray is an above-average signal-caller who is better than Rudolph and Howard, and he would give the Steelers another opportunity to make the playoffs and get bounced in the first round.

While Murray's $230 million contract might seem daunting, the fact of the matter is there's a pretty clean out in 2027. So, if Murray doesn't pan out in Pittsburgh in 2026, the team can easily cut ties with him and go in a different direction.

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