The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation becomes more and more dire by the day. As Aaron Rodgers still remains a free agent, the Steelers get closer to draft day without having a proven starter on their roster.

Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated sees this and says that the best case scenario for the Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft is to have Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slip to No. 21.

“Rodgers should hurry up and sign with the Steelers in case Sanders slides in the first round,” Manzano writes. “Sanders excels with timing and accuracy, two traits that could make him a Day 1 starter in the NFL. Pittsburgh has George Pickens and DK Metcalf and has invested in the offensive line in recent drafts to allow a rookie starting quarterback to have immediate success. The Steelers shouldn’t let their 2022 draft miss with Kenny Pickett scare them away from drafting a quarterback in the first round.”

While it feels unexpected that Sanders will slip to No. 21, we’ve seen quarterbacks slide before. Though it is much more likely to see a quarterback get overdrafted rather than slide, it’s hard to argue that the Steelers staying put and having Sanders fall to them would be a stroke of pure luck. However, passing on Rodgers doesn’t have to be part of this scenario. They can still sign Rodgers and not put any pressure on Sanders to play right away, giving him a year to learn the offense and get more comfortable.