Steelers Lose QB Option to Seahawks

The Pittsburgh Steelers' veteran quarterback options outside of Aaron Rodgers keep shrinking.

The Seattle Seahawks are reuniting with Drew Lock according to a report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, and he'll slot in as the backup to Sam Darnold, who signed a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with the team this offseason.

Lock was sent to the Seahawks in a trade that saw former Steelers signal caller Russell Wilson go the other way to the Denver Broncos in March 2022.

In four games and two starts for Seattle, all of which came during the 2023 campaign, Lock recorded 543 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while playing second fiddle to Geno Smith.

He then signed a one-year deal totaling $5 million with the New York Giants last offseason. Lock proceeded to suit up for eight games and make five starts for the team following the release of Daniel Jones, racking up 1,071 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions over that stretch.

Lock, who began his career as a second-round pick by Denver out of Missouri in 2019, was one of the few options with expansive NFL experience still remaining on the market heading into the day.

Now that he's no longer available alongside Joe Flacco, who returned to the Cleveland Browns several hours ago after spending the 2023 season there, the Steelers are officially entering Rodgers or bust territory.

The organization protected itself against losing out on the four-time MVP to an extent by bringing back Mason Rudolph on a two-year deal, but they desperately need another quality player behind center given that Skylar Thompson is currently No. 2 on the depth chart.

They'll certainly add a rookie via the NFL Draft, but there's no guarantee that whoever they choose will be ready to take high-leverage reps during the regular season.

It's still a safe assumption that Rodgers will eventually join the Steelers, but the team's outlook could be bleak if he were to suddenly decide against doing so.