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Ed Zurga/Associated Press
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to figure out how they will approach their quarterback vacancy.
Pittsburgh can go after a free-agent quarterback, it could select a promising player in the 2022 NFL draft, or it can approach the trade market.
The quarterback trade market may be the most competitive it has ever been since Jimmy Garoppolo and potentially Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson could move over the next few months.
Mike Tomlin’s team has competition from throughout the league for the top trade targets because of the vacancies in Tampa Bay, New Orleans and other places.
The Steelers should still approach the trade market with their best intentions, and that could lead to some intriguing proposals.
Quarterback should be the No. 1 trade target, but the Steelers could also look for help for the new quarterback through that mechanism as well .
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Jimmy Garoppolo makes the most sense from a quarterback trade perspective.
Garoppolo is officially available because the San Francisco 49ers are moving on to Trey Lance.
The 49ers should try to move Garoppolo to the best-possible scenario, and Pittsburgh could fit that role.
Pittsburgh needs a Ben Roethlisberger replacement and it resides in a different conference than San Francisco.
That could be an appealing spot for the 49ers over Tampa Bay, New Orleans or other spots in the NFC.
San Francisco may not want Garoppolo to stand in its way in its chase for the top spot in the NFC.
Pittsburgh would benefit from bringing in an experienced option at quarterback in its attempt to keep pace with Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore in the AFC North.
If the Steelers add a rookie quarterback, it may take a year or two for that player to get up to speed in the NFL.
With Garoppolo, the Steelers would add a player with Super Bowl experience and plenty of time spent in the postseason. That would be a valuable commodity to add as it looks to remain competitive in the AFC.
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Matt Ludtke/Associated Press
This is the Why Not? Option for the Steelers.
Aaron Rodgers could be on the way out of the Green Bay Packers roster and a number of teams would line up for a deal if that happens.
Rodgers just won his fourth NFL Most Valuable Player and he would be an upgrade over 95 percent of the quarterbacks in the league.
Pittsburgh should at least drop a line to the Packers front office to see if they would be interested in making a deal.
The Steelers may be at a disadvantage compared to the Denver Broncos since former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is the new head coach there.
A Rodgers move to Denver makes logical sense, but Pittsburgh should still try because he is potentially the best available option on the market.
If that does not come to fruition, the Steelers could land Garoppolo, or select one of the top prospects in the 2022 NFL draft, but they should at least try for Rodgers.
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Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press
Pittsburgh might have to rearrange its wide receiver room as well for the 2022 season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is set to become a free agent and Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool come with some flaws that were evident over the last two seasons.
Johnson has had a problem with drops and Claypool went through some issues in 2021, including a tumble in touchdown production from nine to two.
Pittsburgh could inquire about Brandin Cooks’ availability with the Houston Texans to bring in a veteran No. 1 wide receiver, especially if it lands a young quarterback to replace Roethlisberger.
The Steelers should surround the potentially young signal-caller with as much talent as possible to ease the transition to the starting lineup.
A rookie wide out may be the better choice if a veteran quarterback is brought in so that the Steelers do not trade away all of their draft picks.
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