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Christopher Carter's Steelers chat: 05.08.25
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Arthur Smith’s Chin
11:40
Was Kevin Colbert’s strategy in his last few drafts to play the long game in keeping the Browns irrelevant? Devin Bush, Kenny Pickett, Diontae Johnson - all high-profile Steelers castoffs that now receive paychecks from Mr. And Mrs. Haslam.
Christopher Carter
11:40
Ha. That's actually pretty funny.
Marvin 60
11:40
Injuries are unpredictable so not including those possibilities, what QB three some would allow Howard the opportunity to get on the field?
Christopher Carter
11:40
Rodgers and Rudolph would need to be hurt. Then Howard would go in.
Josh
11:41
I’ve heard a lot of fans and analysts state that the Steelers should give Rudolph a chance, or Howard a chance to see how they do. And worst case scenario they don’t do well and the Steelers get better draft position in 2026. My question is, if the Steelers’ plan all along was to pass on early round QB this year and grab one next year, why didn’t the Steelers just give that chance to Fields, who athletically gave them the best chance to compete this season while getting a chance to see how he did? I get the $20 million but that is a fraction of what other starting QBs are getting now and seems like a low risk salary for a placeholder year. Is this a mistake made that we will never      hear the Steelers admit?
Christopher Carter
11:42
This is conjecture on my part as I haven't nailed this down, but I estimate the Steelers simply thought Fields wouldn't take that offer from the Jets knowing their track record for ruining quarterbacks. Obviously, that was a mistake.
Pittfan
11:42
Hi Christopher. Do you believe the Steelers will find out enough about Will Howard this year to be able to make an informed decision on whether they need to draft a 1st round QB next year? If he shows he's good enough to be a tier 2 QB (Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff) they could draft and surround him with great young talent like he had at Ohio State. He appears to have all of the intangibles to be a great leader.
Christopher Carter
11:42
I don't think Will Howard plays a snap of regular season football unless Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph are both injured. He's a developmental backup to be used in future years in case of emergency.
Life's Work
11:42
Chris, thank you for the great work and taking time for these chats. It's fairly clear that Rodgers will be the QB this year, otherwise they would have made different decisions in FA and the draft. How do you think the addition of Rodgers and the subtraction of Pickens will impact the results for the 2025 season?  Thank you.
Christopher Carter
11:44
Thanks! I think Aaron Rodgers gives them a quarterback that can make several adjustments at the line and be a quarterback who opens up parts of the field in a way nobody's been able to do since Roethlisberger. But I also think he'll be very limited in what he can do because he won't be able to buy as much time. The key to the future of the offense is the development of a new leadership core. That's going to be more about Metcalf-Freiermuth and the formation of this offensive line, IMO.
Mike in Virginia
11:44
The Steelers seem focused on being a hard nosed, run heavy team that plays time possession football. It seems to me that having a QB who now and then can use his legs for at least a few yards instead of taking sacks or throwing the ball away is key. That guy isn't Aaron Rodgers, is it? I feel like his style is the exact wrong thing for how this offense is built now.
Christopher Carter
11:45
Aaron Rodgers isn't that guy, but you don't always need a mobile quarterback with such an offense. Remember Trent Dilfer with Jamal Lewis and that Ravens team? Matt Hasselbeck with Shaun Alexander? I think that's along the lines of what they're looking at--temporarily. I do think--long term--they would like someone who has mobility as a real part of their arsenal.
Life's Work
11:45
Did you expect Pickens to bring such a low yield in draft capital?  Dallas essentially picked him up for a swap of the 5th and 6th round picks in 2026. They essentially recoup the 3rd round pick in 2027 since they can get a 3rd round comp pick if they don't sign him to a new contract. Was their desire not to have Pickens attitude infiltrate any of the team activities this season that strong? Seems like they could have got this deal later with a chance to get a better deal if someone gets hurt during camp.
Christopher Carter
11:46
I had heard teams weren't offering more than a fourth, which is why I didn't think the trade would actually happen. I do think the Cowboys will get that 2027 3rd round comp pick, but that's a step back from a true 2026 3rd as well--and might be more valuable to the Steelers considering their QB plans. But I do think moving Pickens was more about they wanted to cleanse the locker room and develop their new nucleus without him.
Life's Work
11:47
Do you have any inside information on what week the Ireland game will be played?
Christopher Carter
11:47
That's not one my specialties yet. Maybe one day!
TX Pressure
11:50
Think the Pickens trade made sense, get a mid 3rd round and later pick swap because comp pick is basically a first pick in the 4th round and not even guaranteed if you sign Free Agents.  Now I know they won't do this but SHOULD they?  Move TJ Watt, still one of the best OLBs in the NFL but no defensive stats the last two games and paying $40 mill???  Don't be the Browns, trade him get the draft capital and continue the RE-BUILD, yes I said it!
Christopher Carter
11:55
I wouldn't move Watt unless they get back three first round picks. Still to valuable. Also, the $40M price-tag isn't as big of an impact as people think. The salary cap has risen enough so that such a contract is basically at the same percentage-space of a team's cap as his last contract.
TVC15
11:56
How many years do you think it will be before the Steelers win a playoff game? 1? 3? Over 5?
Christopher Carter
11:56
If they hit on QB in the next draft, it's next season.
TX Pressure
11:57
Rodgers doesn't really move the needle, maybe one win more than Rudolph MAYBE but thought team was around a 4-6 win team.  Too many guys are getting older and not better (Fitz, Watt, Cam is just older) and now losing GP that puts offense in bind.  Why would Rodgers with one maybe two years left in his career come to this?  Be the QB that gave Tomlin his first losing season?  Think he will play the long game and wait to see if a QB goes down on a legit team and have shot at  SB and not waste his time here - thoughts?
Christopher Carter
11:58
I think Rodgers is just looking for his sunset team. He knows it won't be great, so why not pick a team with a well known head coach who's regularly been in the playoffs?
Steeler Nut
11:58
Wouldn't someone like Allen Lazard or Gabe Davis be a nice, big body complement to Metcalf?  Prior to getting hurt in Jax last year, Davis was averaging 16+ yds per catch.
Christopher Carter
11:58
I really like Gabe Davis.
Melinda
11:59
The burning question I have is, will there be a hot sauce bar at the reception. Your friends and family need to know.
Christopher Carter
11:59
At this point we do not have a hot sauce bar in plan for our wedding reception. Though we can check for upgrades with our venue haha
Lou
11:59
Chris what’s the inside scoop on Steelers adding Amari Cooper or Keenan Allen?  They can’t be too confident in Roman Wilson who has basically never played and shown anything.
Christopher Carter
12:00
I would refer Gabe Davis and Keenan Allen. Davis a big play receiver and Allen a route runner who can work the middle of the field.
12:01
Alright everyone, I actually have to get to recording with Brian Batko for tomorrow's show. Thank you for the questions and be sure to look out for our coverage of Steelers rookie camp tomorrow!
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