Former Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Ryan Clark has stated several times this offseason that the Steelers need to tank in order to get their next franchise quarterback. He still believes that's the best route, but he has changed his tune a little bit.
"I think Aaron's going to play well and I think the team's going to be good –– like a 10-win team. And guess what? Next year, you're still looking for a quarterback," Clark said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast, which is a production of Yote House Media. "And you've been there every year…In my opinion, they're going to end up there again this year… So I said it on TV and people got mad at me like, 'Oh, you hate the Steelers.' I was like, 'No, we need to be atrocious!' Like, they need to be awful. To me, the only answer is this: with the picks you have, you sell the farm to get the guy next year."
Arch Manning, Texas Athletics
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com projects the Steelers to have four compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft — one in Round 3, one in Round 4, one in Round 5 and one in Round 6. The Steelers have 12 projected picks in 2026, so they'll have the ammunition to trade up in the draft .
Fortunately for the Steelers, the 2026 NFL Draft class is absolutely loaded with talent at quarterback. The class could include Texas' Arch Manning , Penn State's Drew Allar , South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier , Clemson's Cade Klubnik , Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, UCLA's Nico Iamaleava, Oregon's Dante Moore and Miami 's Carson Beck .
The Steelers know they were taking a gamble when they signed 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason. Clark has no concerns about Mike Tomlin handling Rodgers' personality, though. He just doesn't see the four-time NFL MVP taking the Steelers to the promised land.
"Mike T. can work with anybody. Ben's not a peach… He just needed to be handled a certain way, and Coach Tomlin understood that," Clark said. "… He understands maneuvering around a superstar quarterback; that's not going to be the problem. The problem is, does this superstar quarterback make you better than the Baltimore Ravens ? Does it make you better than the Buffalo Bills ? Does it make you better than the Kansas City Chiefs ? And I don't think it does."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Ex-Steelers Player Thinks Team Needs to 'Sell the Farm' for QB in 2026 NFL Draft
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