Steelers ‘Conceivably’ Interested in Acquiring Disgruntled QB

Mike Tomlin

Getty The Steelers reportedly have "interest" in Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.

The Pittsburgh Steelers apparently are still in the hunt for a quarterback — and not just in the 2022 NFL draft.

According to Adam H. Beasley of Pro Football Network, the Steelers are “conceivably interested” in Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray is in the midst of trade rumors amid a contract dispute with the Cardinals.

However, as Beasley notes, the trade market would be huge for the 24-year-old quarterback. Beasley also mentions the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles as teams interested in making a play for Murray.

“Teams that could conceivably have interest in Murray include the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Pittsburgh Steelers,” says Beasley. “It’s next to inconceivable to think that the Cardinals would trade Murray within the division, so that would likely exclude the Seattle Seahawks.”


Why Steelers Make Sense for Murray

The young dual-threat quarterback has spent the offseason trying to sign a new deal. Murray was absent for the Cardinals’ first day of spring workouts on Tuesday, April 19.

The Steelers are clearly still in the hunt for a quarterback as they’ll enter the draft with just two players at the position in Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. Although both players have starting experience, neither quarterback spent the 2021 season as starters.

The lack of established talent at quarterback has led many pundits to believe the Steelers will select a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. With that being said, Pittsburgh would still have a void at possessing an established quarterback after the draft.

As a quarterback coming off of a playoff appearance, Murray would easily fill that void. Could the Steelers maybe opt to trade their draft capital — they possess the No. 20 pick in the draft — for a quarterback such as Murray?

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Jones: Murray Will Be out of Arizona

NFL Network analyst James Jones believes Murray’s days in Arizona are numbered.

“I think he’s out of Arizona, I think somebody is going to give a deal to the Arizona Cardinals that gets Kyler Murray out of there and gets him on a new team,” said Jones. “There’s just too much draft capital and there’s too much going on I don’t know if the organization wants to deal with. And even if you do pay him I see this happening again. I see some problems with Kyler Murray, ‘The roster ain’t this’ or something may happen. I think we’ve seen the last of Kyler Murray in an Arizona Cardinals uniform.”

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is due to earn just $965,000 in base salary during the 2022 season. In terms of base salary, Murray is the 61st highest-paid QB among players at his position for the 2022 season. As far as overall cap hit, Murray will earn just under $11.4 million for the 2022 season, which ranks him 18th among all quarterbacks.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Murray is not expected to play again for the Cardinals until a new contract is agreed upon.

Despite Murray’s desire for a new contract, there still have been no negotiations between both sides. The Cardinals maintain they want to extend Murray eventually.

“The Cardinals have said they want to extend Kyler Murray eventually, and Murray said recently ‘I’m not really too worried about my future as a Cardinal.’ But with two weeks until the draft, there are no negotiations, and other teams are watching. A situation to monitor,” reported Pelissero on Thursday, April 14.

The Cardinals’ lack of urgency in even discussing a new deal with Murray combined with the young quarterback’s frustration with his franchise may lead to his departure.

That level of frustration could eventually lead to Murray being traded to another team such as the Steelers.

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