Shedeur Sanders may have suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers had it not been for one person.
According to recent reports, that individual is Russell Wilson, the ex-Steelers quarterback who left for the New York Jets earlier this offseason.
Despite the Steelers opting not to draft Sanders in April’s NFL draft and this coming well after Wilson’s exit, the two moves are inextricably linked.
Sanders was eventually drafted in the fifth round as the 144th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, a stunning fall after many expected the 23-year-old to be selected early in the first round.
Some expected the Steelers to select Sanders with their 21st overall pick, or even their 123rd overall pick.
Instead, they passed on the former Colorado Buffaloes star, choosing Dillon Gabriel in the third round, needing another signal caller amid their weak quarterback room which consists of Mason Rudolph and sixth-round rookie Will Howard.
Some explain the Steelers’ decision by pointing to their desire to sign Aaron Rodgers, however, Albert Breer on the Bill Simmons Podcast, has given some more insight into the decision
“I think people there would tell you that the Russell Wilson thing undermines so many things in the last month of the season and that a lot of that building really wanted them to go back to Justin Fields,” Breer said.
“And it was something where Tomlin was kind of, again, all on his own on that one. And I think it’s part of the reason why— Tomlin liked Shedeur going into the draft.
“But I don’t think Tomlin wanted to press that button again at quarterback after what happened with Russell at the end of the year last year.
“So there’s some dynamics there where it’s like, there’s some stuff that happened at the end of the year in games, where it was just like, man like if we were just average at that position or we were just running things the way they were supposed to be run, we might have been OK.”
The logic works when considering the dismal end to Wilson’s Steelers career.
The team’s four-game losing streak at the end of last season came as a result of their offensive struggles, which falls back to Wilson, who has made over $300m during his NFL career.
The former Seahawks QB’s woes caused the side to muster just 14 points in AFC playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Therefore, to the surprise of few, Tomlin, who was a fan of Sanders, was unwilling to gamble on the young quarterback, after his decision to back Wilson backfired.
Instead of pushing his team to sign Sanders, Tomlin looks to be onboard with the pursuit of Rodgers, a decision which is proving to be more protracted than many had initially expected.
Rodgers, who is a free agent after leaving the Jets last season, has reportedly already frustrated his potential future teammates, according to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.
“There are people in that [Steelers] locker room who I believe would tell you they’re already over this entire thing,” Pelissero said.
“They just wanna know what’s going on. And they’re sick of hearing about it, and they’re sick of asking about it. They don’t wanna discuss it anymore.
“I can’t think of another situation like this since probably the guy who preceded Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay when Brett Favre took it all the way to August 18th with the Vikings and then showed up.”
With the Steelers training camp opening in July, it’s no surprise players are less than enthused by the ongoing drama about the delay in Rodgers’ arrival.
Rodgers missing out on OTAs was already a disappointment, but ultimately it’s unlikely that the 41-year-old won’t be a Steelers player once the new NFL season rolls around.
Rodgers has been given a ‘drop-dead date’ by one insider with the Steelers NFL Dublin game critical.
