Steelers Get Wild 2026 QB Prediction

Are Taylor and Richardson Fits in Pittsburgh?

Taylor, who just led the New York Jets to a Week 13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, remains a solid quarterback option at 36-years-old who is best fit to serve as a backup at this point in his 15-year career. He's certainly proven that he can step in as a starter from time to time and perform admirably, however.

It's not like Taylor would come at a high price point, evidenced by the fact he signed a two-year deal worth $12 million with the Jets last offseason that made him the team's No. 2 signal caller behind Rodgers.

Taylor also hasn't been a full-time starter since the 2017 campaign, though, and the Steelers wouldn't necessarily benefit from adding him into the mix when they already have another veteran game-manager type quarterback in Rudolph under contract for the 2026 season as well.

Richardson is far more intriguing, as the 2023 No. 4 overall pick has some of the most impressive physical traits at the position in the league.

The issue, however, is that he's battled constant injuries with the Indianapolis Colts and is still incredibly raw. In 17 career games, Richardson has thrown for 2,400 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 50.6 percent completion rate while rushing for 634 yards and 10 scores.

Indianapolis will be forced to make a decision on his fifth-year option in the offseason, and considering the organization will likely look to retain Daniel Jones, Richardson is on the outs.

It wouldn't cost an exorbitant amount of draft capital for Pittsburgh to land Richardson, and it's a situation that somewhat resembles Fields' with the Chicago Bears before he was dealt to the Steelers.

Richardson has a much higher ceiling than Rudolph and Howard, but his floor is the lowest of that bunch as well. If Pittsburgh's desperate, though, perhaps it'll take that swing.

Steelers' Other Avenues for Improved QB Play

Though there was some speculation that the Steelers and Rodgers could run it back for one more year, that idea doesn't seem quite as suitable given the team's 2-5 stretch while the 41-year-old deals with a left wrist injury that first popped up in Week 11.

Unless Howard takes a huge leap in his development, it's pretty safe to say that the Steelers will acquire a quarterback who brings a bit more juice than both him and Rudolph in the offseason.

That could come in the form of a trade for a veteran such as Kyler Murray or Mac Jones of the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, respectively, but with a projected 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft that will take place in Pittsburgh, the Steelers could potentially make a splash for one of next year's top prospects.

With so much up in the air in regards to the future of head coach Mike Tomlin amidst the team's recent slide, however, it's hard to predict what path Pittsburgh will take at the most important position on the field.

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