If the Steelers acquire a veteran QB, it would likely be Jimmy Garoppolo

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be neck deep in the quarterback pool this offseason. Whether or not they actually sign, trade or draft a player remains to be seen, but you can fully expect the Steelers to do their due diligence on every available member of this position group. After receiving Hall of Fame level quarterback play for nearly 20 years, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers will just roll into a season with sub-par talent on the roster. But when you think of the organization and their stance towards trading first round picks, along with spending big money in free agency, not a lot of options remain.

One option that does make some sense is 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Before anyone gets a twisted, this isn’t what I want the team to do, but more so what is actually believable for the Steelers to do. Garoppolo likely comes for a mid-round pick, but you have to pick up his $27 million cap hit this upcoming season. When you look at free agent and trade targets available, not too many fit Matt Canada‘s system. Athletic, decisive, and a pretty big arm are some of the big checkmarks. While there are options better than Garoppolo I just can’t see the Steelers trading multiple first round picks for a 39-year-old quarterback, or someone going through legal troubles.

Some NFL ‘insiders’ (and I use that term loosely) already expect the Steelers to be one of the teams involved in Jimmy Garoppolo trade talks. Whether or not that is just a due diligence call or actually having strong interest won’t be known until a deal is possibly complete. But with the 49ers wanting to had over the position to Trey Lance, I fully expect Garoppolo to be traded with his cost of acquisition dropping by every week that passes of this offseason.

The route which still makes the most sense to me is the Steelers either standing pat with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins, or drafting a rookie with one of their first two draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. But if they really want a veteran quarterback, the only one that makes a lot of sense to me is Jimmy Garoppolo. He would be an upgrade over Rudolph, while still being a transition quarterback to whoever the Steelers draft for the future.

But what do you think? Will the Steelers be in the market for a veteran quarterback this offseason, and do you think Jimmy Garoppolo will be among the names they check in on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.