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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 12: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts in the fourth quarter of an NFL wild card playoff game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

It’s no secret the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for a young, franchise quarterback. The only question remains if they’ll consider Brendan Sorsby for the position.

The controversial former Indiana and Cincinnati quarterback was named as a potential successor to Aaron Rodgers by NFL Draft insider Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic.

Sorsby entered the NFL Supplemental Draft, despite the fact he was ruled eligible to play for Texas Tech, after he admitted to gambling more than $90,000 on his teams over his previous four years of college football.

The NFL Supplemental Draft is likely to take place in the next month. The Steelers open training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on July 28.

Steelers Linked to Brendan Sorsby as Aaron Rodgers’ Replacement

Rodgers has stated publicly the 2026 season would be he last, though he hinted at 2025 being his final season as well.

The Steelers are in the market for a contingency plan for 2027. But their roster — especially their defense — is too talented to land them in the hunt for a franchise QB like Arch Manning or Dante Moore.

They have Drew Allar and Will Howard on the roster, but neither seems like solution — even though each has physical tools to play quarterback in the NFL. So Sorsby could fall in their lap, and it could only cost the Steelers a 2027 second-day draft pick at most — assuming they win the bidding.

“The Steelers currently have a pick (including multiple seventh-rounders) in every round but the sixth,” Baumgardner wrote. “Mike McCarthy has already admitted that Allar, while talented, is basically a teardown rebuild after playing in a Penn State offense that rarely made sense for him.”

Sorsby is viewed as a second-round prospect, and his arm is considered well enough to give him NFL credentials. Baumgardner also referenced the insights Sorsby could get from Rodgers if he steps in as the backup this year.

“From a football standpoint, it’s possible that after a hypothetical year of working behind Rodgers, he’d be more ready than Allar or Howard for the job in 2027,” Baumgardner wrote. “This also shouldn’t be your normal forward-thinking QB-needy situation, as Pittsburgh believes it still has a playoff roster right now.”

Could the Steelers Really Employ Brendan Sorsby?

Of course, the Steelers value winning more than most NFL organizations.

Their current 17-year Super Bowl drought — it’s also been 15 since they reached the NFL Championship — cost Mike Tomlin his job, which means things may be changing in Western Pennsylvania.

But the Steelers are one of the flagship teams and wear that as a badge of honor. They still only have had four coaches since the NFL-AFL merger and are as traditionally minded as any in the NFL.

This is still the organization that wouldn’t choose homegrown, can’t-miss QB Dan Marino — DAN FREAKIN’ MARINO! — over rumors he had a cocaine problem.

Could they really make Sorsby the potential face of their franchise? He isn’t exactly a can’t-miss prospect, and even though he went to rehab for gambling addiction, Pennsylvania is still a legal state for sports betting.

We’ll find out soon enough how much things have changed in Steelers Country.