Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark wants the organization to have a bad season in 2025.
The reason? Clark hopes the Steelers tank for Texas quarterback Arch Manning or LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.
“To me, this isn’t a team that’s ready to compete,” Clark said on ESPN’s Get Up. “Which I’m fine with because I felt like you didn’t make a decision to get a quarterback in the draft. Maybe your evaluation was that none of them were good enough and that Aaron Rodgers was better, but if you’re gonna suck. Suck all the way. Let’s go get Arch, or let’s go get Nussmeier.”
Manning will be a first-year starter and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. The hype surrounding him has him destined to be the first overall pick as he takes over as the Longhorns’ quarterback.
Manning has just 95 career passing attempts but had nine touchdowns and two interceptions in 2.5 games as the primary starter for Texas in 2024.
Nussmeier enters his second season as the guy in Baton Rouge. He could have come in the 2025 class but was told to go back for another year in hopes of strengthening his stock.
Nussmeier, in his first full year as a starting quarterback in 2024, threw for 4052 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He completed 64 percent of his passes.
The Steelers have a ton of draft capital to move up the draft board when the time comes for what is thought to be a much stronger 2026 quarterback group.
Pittsburgh is now projected to have five picks in the first two days of the NFL Draft. They will have their first-round pick, a second-round pick, and three third-rounders, with a compensatory pick expected for Justin Fields’ departure.
Pittsburgh knows at some point, they have to land a franchise quarterback, and it seems 2026 will be the year for them to make that large swing.