Steelers sign veteran QB as Mike Tomlin addresses offseason plans at the position

The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking just their initial steps into the offseason after suffering a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens during Wild Card Weekend. Even in these early stages, however, the team is adding depth to what will be an intriguing position to monitor throughout the next few weeks and months. On Monday, Pittsburgh agreed to a deal with veteran quarterback Skylar Thompson, his agency announced. 

Thompson, 27, was a seventh-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 2022 out of Kansas State. Over the course of his tenure, Thompson has started three regular-season games and has gone 1-2 over that stretch. He also started a playoff game for Miami in 2022 as Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined due to a concussion. For his career, Thompson has completed 58.7% of his passes with a 66.1 passer rating. 

This should largely be looked at as a depth move for the Steelers, but it sets the stage for what could be a tumultuous offseason at quarterback. Last year, Pittsburgh acquired both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Each is now knocking on the door of entering the free agent market along with third-stringer Kyle Allen, whose contract is also expiring. That leaves the position in a state of flux and why adding an arm like Thompson was necessary at this juncture. 

When speaking to reporters on Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin discussed the Steelers’ situation at quarterback and the multitude of avenues they could go down. 

“We don’t have a quarterback under contract and so we’ve got some major discussions there,” Tomlin said of Wilson, Fields, and Allen on Tuesday before the Thompson signing. “It was a really good experience with the three quarterbacks that were on our roster this year, individually and collectively. We are certainly open to considering those guys, but there’s a lot of work ahead of us. The major work starts first and foremost just understanding what our options are … what the field looks like in terms of free agency, what the draft pool looks like, and then beginning the process in terms of decision-making based on known variables.”

That certainly leaves the door open for the Steelers to potentially hit the reset button at quarterback yet again, particularly if Tomlin concludes that they hit their ceiling with Wilson and/or Fields.