Steelers Pegged Potential Landing Spot for ‘Great Bargain’ QB

Getty Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio floated head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers as a potential fit for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield shared with reporters after Week 16 that he “would love” to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he’s made that clear previously, and it didn’t stop Pro Football Talk Mike Florio from speculating where Mayfield could land if he didn’t reach a new contract agreement with the Buccaneers.

On December 22, Florio floated the Pittsburgh Steelers as one of a few possible landing spots for Mayfield.

“Again, he has said he wants to stay in Tampa Bay,” Florio wrote. “Other teams looking for a starter could disrupt that, whether it’s the Patriots or the Steelers (if they decide Kenny Pickett isn’t the answer) or the Raiders or the Broncos (if they move on from Russell Wilson) or the Vikings (if Kirk Cousins leaves) or the Seahawks (if they choose to move on from Geno Smith).”

In 2023, Mayfield has arguably experienced his best statistical season in the NFL since his rookie season. He has completed 64.3% of his passes for 3,598 yards, 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He’s averaged 7.2 yards per pass.

Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to an 8-7 record, putting them in position to win the NFC South for the third straight year. He’s accomplished all that on a base salary of $1.125 million.

How QB Baker Mayfield Could Fit With the Steelers

It wasn’t clear Mayfield would definitely start with the Buccaneers before the season started. But, he’s clearly become the best quarterback in a division that was filled with questions behind center prior to September.

Based on how he’s played in Tampa Bay, Mayfield would be an upgrade over Kenny Pickett. The only significant statistical category where Pickett has outperformed Mayfield this season is interceptions.

But Mayfield has his lowest interception percentage since 2020 and is averaging 0.8 more yards per attempt than Pickett.

With two years remaining on his rookie contract, Pickett will be on the 2024 Steelers roster. But in the hypothetical Florio proposed where the Steelers no longer want to move forward with Pickett as the team’s starter, Mayfield would be a great addition.

The Steelers, though, would have to be certain Pickett is not going to develop into a franchise quarterback before signing Mayfield. After his strong 2023 season, Mayfield isn’t going to sign with a team unless he’s guaranteed to start.

While other insiders such as Peter King have suggested the Steelers bring in a veteran signal caller this offseason, King called for the team to add competition. He didn’t advocate for the Steelers to sign a new starting quarterback.

The Numerous Moving Parts for the Steelers Offense

The Steelers could very well add a new quarterback to the roster this offseason. But with all the potential moving parts on Pittsburgh’s offense, it’s difficult to tell the manner in which the Steelers could acquire a new signal caller.

Who the Steelers will hire as offensive coordinator is the biggest question. If the Steelers’ new coordinator has a previous connection to Mayfield, then perhaps Pittsburgh is a more enticing landing spot for the veteran quarterback. But if the new coordinator has never worked with Mayfield, the Steelers will likely opt for a different veteran.

Drafting a quarterback is a possibility too. CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson argued on December 19 that the Steelers should trade up to select Washington quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr.

Backup Mason Rudolph is another moving part. Rudolph played extremely well in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals. If that continues in Week 17, then perhaps the Steelers re-sign Rudolph to compete with Pickett next season.

Of course, all of this assumes Mike Tomlin returns as head coach.

For those reasons, the Steelers are hardly a guaranteed landing spot for Mayfield. The Buccaneers could also franchise tag Mayfield, making this entire discussion a moot point.

But clearly, Pittsburgh needs better quarterback play in 2024. Therefore, the Steelers figure to be connected to a lot of veteran signal callers like Mayfield this offseason.