Steelers Kicking Themselves for Passing on Shedeur Sanders?

Though Aaron Rodgers has held down the fort for the Pittsburgh Steelers and played well enough, when healthy, to have the team in first place in the AFC North with a 7-6 record leading into Week 15, there's plenty of questions about what the futures holds at quarterback for the organization.

Pittsburgh was among the most signal caller-needy teams in the league heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, but it didn't land one until selecting Will Howard in the sixth round fresh off a national title in his only season at Ohio State.

Shedeur Sanders was rumored to have piqued the Steelers' interest late in the pre-draft process, and while he even took a top-30 visit with the team, they passed on him on multiple occasions.

Sanders ultimately fell down into the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns took him after picking fellow quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

The Colorado product made his first start for Cleveland in Week 12 and turned in the best performance of his young career vs. the Tennessee Titans in Week 14 with 364 yards and three touchdowns through the air to go alongside a rushing score.

As a result, Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab believes the Steelers may regret not selecting Sanders.

"How many teams are kicking themselves right now? You're telling me the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't use a Shedeur Sanders right now?" Schwab said on the "Inside Coverage" podcast, per Steelers Depot's Jake Brockhoff. "He keeps getting better every week."

Dec 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Did Steelers Miss Golden Opportunity?

From Sanders to Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough, there are a number of rookie quarterbacks who have flashed immense potential this year that the Steelers had a chance to leave the draft with back in the spring.

Their decision to focus on upgrading the interior of the defensive line has looked smart thus far, though, as first-rounder Derrick Harmon has developed into a stout run defender when healthy while also making his presence known as a pass rusher with 16 pressures, per Pro Football Focus.

The likes of Dart and Shough, who flew off the board with picks No. 25 and No. 40 to the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints, respectively, went too early for the Steelers to neglect their glaring hole up front and pass up on an opportunity to bring Harmon into the fold.

The same can't be said about Sanders, however, given that he was on the board nearly halfway through Day 3 of the draft.

Whether Pittsburgh wasn't as high on him as a prospect or simply didn't want to deal with the Sanders family, it became clear that the organization had no intentions of picking him.

The verdict still largely remains out on Sanders, but there's no denying that he's looked the part of a starting-level signal caller with the potential to become a true difference-maker over a small sample size.

Perhaps Howard can make an impact at some point down the line for the Steelers after missing over half of his rookie campaign while on the reserve/injured list with a hand injury, but Sanders was always the superior talent.

Pittsburgh's strong assumption of the fact that Rodgers would eventually sign with it may have prevented the selection of a signal caller earlier in the draft, and with the focus on contending in 2025, that decision was and still is logical.

After all, it's not like the Steelers would realistically be better off with Sanders behind center than Rodgers for this season in particular.

Rather, the organization may be regretting kicking the can down the road in terms of finding their future starter at quarterback instead of just taking Sanders later in the draft. If they are feeling thay way, it's somewhat justified.

Sanders was never going to lead Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl or any heights that Rodgers couldn't this year, but given how much he's improved and shown over a short period of time, the team can't help but to feel like it made a bit of a mistake not picking him and allowing him to land with their division rivals.

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