Former Steelers QB Was Reason Behind Shedeur Sanders Decision

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to take a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft until the sixth round, selection Will Howard out of Ohio State. But the name to watch heading into the draft was Shedeur Sanders out of Colorado. Many anticipated the Steelers being the landing spot for Sanders, and when it didn't happen, there was a sense of surprise. But now, an NFL insider is revealing the reason behind the decision.

Speaking on the Bill Simmons podcast, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer revealed that the failed Russell Wilson experiment was the driving force behind the Steelers decision to pass on Sanders.

"I think people there would tell you that the Russell Wilson thing undermines so many things in the last month of the season and that a lot of that building really wanted them to go back to Justin Fields," Breer said. "And it was something where Tomlin was kind of, again, all on his own on that one. And I think it’s part of the reason why— Tomlin liked Shedeur going into the draft. But I don’t think Tomlin wanted to press that button again at quarterback after what happened with Russell at the end of the year last year. So there’s some dynamics there where it’s like, there’s some stuff that happened at the end of the year in games, where it was just like, man like if we were just average at that position or we were just running things the way they were supposed to be run, we might have been okay."

The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year deal, eventually moving on from former first-round pick Kenny Pickett and then replacing Justin Fields with Wilson during the season. The team five-straight games to end the season.

Now, they're waiting on Aaron Rodgers, but are comfortable putting their long-term plans on hold until the 2026 NFL Draft, where they feel there's a little more talent in front of them.

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