'Whispers' around Seahawks, Steelers being interested in the same QB prospect

Just before the legal tampering period opened, reports emerged which suggested that the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers were circling the same free agent quarterbacks. Namely, both were reported to be interested in Sam Darold and Aaron Rodgers.

The Seahawks quickly signed Darnold, but Rodgers remains on the market more than two weeks later. With Russell Wilson heading to the Giants, Rodgers is Pittsburgh's last hope to sign a veteran capable of starting at quarterback this offseason. Now less than a month from the 2025 NFL draft, the Steelers may have shifted their sights to somebody else.

Once again, their desire may come into conflict with what the Seahawks have planned. According to Tony Pauline at Sportskeeda, there are some around the NFL who believe both Seattle and Pittsburgh could target Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in Round 1.

"Shough's upcoming calendar is filled with offical top-30 visits and private workouts. Some believe he could end up in Round 1, an opinion I do not share, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks whispered around league circles as interested."

nfl — Oct 6, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider looks at his phone during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

You can count us on Pauline's side of this theory. While Shough's draft stock might be on the rise after a strong pro day, he's still relatively low in the quarterback rankings for this class - and generally not expected to come off the board until Day 3.

It would also be very much against how Seattle has operated at quarterback in the past under general manager John Schneider, who's made a lot of noise about drafting QBs before they're needed but hasn't actually followed through.

In practice Schneider has only really drafted Russell Wilson (a seventh on Alex McGough doesn't actually count) and seems to strongly prefer quarterbacks with previous experience in the NFL. That's why they originally signed Matt Flynn before Wilson beat him out in his rookie training camp, and since the rest have followed the same veteran route, including Geno Smith, Drew Lock, Sam Howell and most recently, Sam Darnold.

That's not to say it can't happen - after all, the Seahawks gave themselves a very easy out after one season with Darnold's contract - which indicates they aren't 100% sold that he'll continue to develop the way we saw last season in Minnesota. It should come as no real shock if they draft a quaterback, but doing so in Round 1 would be a big surprise.

More Seahawks on SI stories