The Pittsburgh Steelers are staring at a familiar problem. Quarterback uncertainty has crept back into the building, and this time, there is no long-term answer in place. Aaron Rodgers remains a question mark heading into 2026, and the lack of clarity is already shaping how analysts view Pittsburgh’s next move.
That is where once-hyped, now-available former top-five pick Anthony Richardson enters the conversation.
‘Great Flyer’ Anthony Richardson Emerges As the Steelers Option
The Indianapolis Colts selected Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, betting on traits over experience after just 13 college starts at Florida. That bet hasn’t paid off yet. Richardson struggled through 2024, was benched in favor of Joe Flacco, and then lost the starting job to Daniel Jones in 2025.
Now, with permission to seek a trade and little traction across the league, his market has cooled to the point where a Day 3 pick could get a deal done.
On PFSN’s “Football Debate Club,” Deputy Editor Alex Kennedy made a direct case for Pittsburgh as the landing spot:
“The Steelers should trade for Anthony Richardson. This is a really weak QB class. We don’t know if Aaron Rodgers is coming back. You have Patrick Queen saying yesterday that he thinks there’s a ‘50-50 chance’ Rodgers is back, so they have a really big hole at QB right now, and there’s no guarantee Rodgers will be back. I think that Richardson is a perfect low-risk, high-reward flyer.”
Kennedy added, “You’re talking about giving up a sixth- or seventh-round pick, probably, to bring him in. It adds another quarterback to the room. If Rodgers does come back, great; he can be mentored for a year by the legend. If Rodgers is gone, then you have another quarterback in that room who can potentially start for you. I think the Steelers make a ton of sense. And he’s 23 years old! I mean, he’s the same age as Ty Simpson. I think he’s a great flyer.”
Richardson’s production has not matched his physical tools. In 2024, he appeared in 11 games, throwing for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 47.7 percent of his passes. He added 499 rushing yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, reinforcing the athletic profile that made him such a high pick.
From a metrics standpoint, PFSN’s NFL QB Impact data placed him at No. 25 with a 72.6 score that season. That is firmly in the middle tier without sustained consistency.
At 23, Richardson remains one of the youngest quarterbacks in this conversation. The traits are still there, even if the development has not followed yet. For a team like Pittsburgh, he’s not a foundational answer, but a piece under center they can work with for sure.
The Rodgers factor adds urgency. If Rodgers returns, Richardson could sit and learn in a low-pressure environment. If he does not, the Steelers would at least have another option in a room that currently lacks long-term clarity.
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There are risks. Accuracy issues, durability concerns, and stalled progression as a passer remain legitimate hurdles, though they become easier to absorb when the acquisition cost is a late-round pick. As Kennedy noted, Richardson represents a calculated bet.
