Ben Roethlisberger is still the Steelers’ franchise quarterback, but they might be in the market to draft his successor.
Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said on PFT Live that the Steelers would love to have Roethlisberger on the team for years to come, but they’d also like to acquire the heir apparent in advance, the way the 49ers did when they went from Joe Montana to Steve Young, and the way the Packers did when they went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.
“You want to give Ben the best opportunity to win a Super Bowl while he still can,” Colbert said. “You also want to recognize that great franchises that go from generation to generation and still are successful, they usually pass it on because of great quarterbacks. San Francisco from Montana to Steve Young, Green Bay from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. You’d like to be able to do that.”
Colbert noted that the Steelers are unlikely to draft one of the elite prospects, however, simply because as long as they have Roethlisberger they’re probably not going to have a Top 5 pick.
“At some point you may draft a quarterback higher but as long as you’ve got Ben Roethlisberger playing for you, you’re hopefully not going to be able to get a guy that high,” he said.
So the Steelers aren’t in the market for a Sam Darnold or a Josh Allen. But they might be in the market for a quarterback who can replace Roethlisberger, even if it’s not a quarterback who can replace Roethlisberger immediately.