Colts QB 'Destined' to Join Steelers

Assuming Aaron Rodgers is strictly a one-year band-aid, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the market for a quarterback once again next offseason.

Mason Rudolph is under contract for the 2026 campaign, as is rookie sixth-round selection Will Howard, but Pittsburgh may not view either player as a viable starter on what should remain a contending team next year.

The Steelers are sitting on a treasure chest of picks, including up to four third-rounders when factoring in the compensatory formula, and could find themselves in prime position to trade up for a potential franchise signal caller when the NFL Draft heads to Pittsburgh next April.

Should the organization bypass that opportunity and instead try to find a solution behind center through other means, ESPN's Kevin Clark believes former Indianapolis Colts first-round selection Anthony Richardson could factor into the equation for Pittsburgh next season.

“I’ve never seen anybody more destined to be in the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback competition than Anthony Richardson, because I’m looking at this and I’m seeing a training camp where Daniel Jones will probably start with the ones," Clark said on 'NFL Live'. "There’s job preservation now going on in Indianapolis with [head coach] Shane Steichen and [general manager] Chris Ballard. They’re going to want to get that seven, eight, nine wins in order to keep their job.

“They’re not going to want to take a flyer on Anthony Richardson and say, 'Hey, let’s hope he develops. Let's hope he finally shows athleticism that he showed at the Combine when he was literally the best athlete that the quarterback position has ever seen there.' I just don’t think it’s going to happen. He’s going to get a good start somewhere else.”