The Steelers’ quarterback search just got another cautionary tale.
J.J. McCarthy is headed from Minnesota to the New York Giants after only two years with the Vikings, and the return was tiny: a 2027 fifth-round pick. For Pittsburgh, still trying to map out life after Aaron Rodgers, that kind of deal is a reminder that spending big draft capital on a quarterback does not guarantee anything.
The 2024 quarterback class came in with plenty of hype. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr., Drake Maye and McCarthy all drew strong praise as prospects.
Minnesota clearly believed in McCarthy enough to move up one spot in the first round to get him, but the result was far from the franchise foundation they envisioned. He did not develop on the sideline during his rookie year, and when he got his chance, he lost the starting job quickly.
That’s the part Pittsburgh should be paying attention to. There has been plenty of talk inside Steelers Nation about tanking for a year or two to land a quarterback, but this trade is a blunt reminder that the draft is not a clean solution. A team can chase the “right” prospect, spend premium assets, and still end up empty-handed.
Sometimes the better outcome comes from a quarterback slipping to you, or from a player who wasn’t viewed as a blue-chip name turning into a star. That is why simply chasing a high pick at the position can backfire. If it goes wrong often enough, a franchise can find itself stuck searching for answers for years.
Minnesota also paid a real price to make the move. The Vikings went from pick 11 to 10 in the 2024 draft to select McCarthy, giving up a fourth-round pick and swapping a fifth-rounder for a sixth-rounder in the process. All of that for a player who is now out the door for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Pittsburgh still has some hope that Drew Allar or Will Howard could develop into long-term answers at quarterback. Even so, the possibility of targeting a player high in the 2027 NFL Draft remains on the table.
For the Steelers, the McCarthy trade is a reminder that the path to a franchise quarterback is rarely as simple as losing enough games to land one.
In Other News...
Steelers Fans Had Plenty To Say About Will Howards Sideline Moment
Will Howard spent Week 3 on the sideline as Pittsburghs emergency third quarterback against the Bengals, and he was never going to be part of the game plan on the field. Still, the rookie found himself in the middle of the conversation anyway after fans noticed something tucked into his uniform that quickly became a social media talking point while the Steelers worked their way to a 30-27 win.
With Aaron Rodgers and Jaylen Warren carrying the offense, Howard remained inactive and has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game. The sideline moment turned into a surprising bit of postgame buzz for a player whose biggest job that day was simply to be ready, and Steelers fans clearly had plenty to say once the cameras caught it. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Make Their Joey Porter Jr. Stance Clear For Now
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Teams such as the Lions and Cowboys may have checked in, but the Steelers position has been pretty clear for now. Art Rooney II has stressed that the organization wants to stay competitive rather than pivot into a rebuild, and keeping a key defensive piece like Porter fits that approach even as the trade chatter lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Just Got The Kind Of AFC North Praise Fans Love
Even in a division where every game seems to come with an edge, the Steelers left Week 3 with something fans in Pittsburgh always appreciate: recognition from the other side. After Cincinnatis loss, the conversation from the Bengals centered less on bad luck and more on the mistakes that beat them, with Dexter Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor all pointing to self-inflicted errors and missed chances.
For the Steelers, that kind of postgame tone matters because it reinforces what they already know about AFC North football - wins are earned by forcing the other team to confront its own sloppiness. Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers also offered their views on the matchup and the players who shaped it, adding another layer to a game that felt as much about discipline and execution as it did about the final score. [Read more 🡒]