Who will replace Aaron Rodgers and start in 2027? That answer won’t come for a while. Whoever inherits the throne, though, will come on a cheap contract. For as flexible and malleable as the salary cap is, there is one lesson from Pittsburgh writing checks to several big names of the 2023 draft class: EDGE Nick Herbig ($100 million), DL Keeanu Benton ($72 million), and TE Darnell Washington ($42 million), with CB Joey Porter Jr. still possibly to come with the biggest deal yet.
The Steelers don’t plan on spending much at quarterback next year. An expensive veteran is not in the cards. It’s likely a central reason why the franchise is spending so freely on everyone and everything else.
Pittsburgh can and still seems likely to sign Porter. Offensive linemen Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick are on the docket next year. As could Troy Fautanu, though the fifth-year option gives the Steelers more flexibility to wait. Through cuts and restructures, money can be created for them. Paying a veteran quarterback, like Baker Mayfield, is a lot harder to do.
There’s no signal that Pittsburgh wants to go down that path. The Steelers have rolled through a string of veteran options: Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and now Aaron Rodgers. By 2027, the franchise will be ready for a young option. Someone who can start long-term, and in the short-term, enjoy paying the position relative pennies. Whether that’s Will Howard, Drew Allar, or a first-round rookie, the starter will make up just a fraction of the team’s cap space.
As much as Mike Florio wants to speculate about it (his theory being that Mayfield will take a discount next year despite clearly wanting a market-level deal from Tampa Bay right now), Mayfield looks like a long shot. Pittsburgh’s plan is to build the offensive and defensive lines, retain its top, young talent on both sides of the ball, and find a talented quarterback on a rookie contract for the QB-minded Mike McCarthy to develop.
Many teams tank, rebuild, find the quarterback, and begin the window of spending to build around him. Pittsburgh is doing it a little differently. Invest in the roster before clearly identifying that quarterback, even as the team has two possibilities on the roster.
With an exploding salary cap and all the financial tricks at Omar Khan’s disposal, the Steelers can make the roster work in many ways. A pricey veteran quarterback might be the exception, and even if Pittsburgh had all the cap space in the world, they might prefer finding out what a youth movement can offer anyway.