The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first external quarterback pursuit wasn’t Aaron Rodgers. It was Sam Darnold. But despite the Seattle Seahawks flipping stud receiver DK Metcalf to the Steelers and leaving their WR room thin, Darnold still chose going west instead of east. Even so, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer paints a picture of Darnold being intrigued by the idea of playing in Pittsburgh.
“Seattle beat out the Steelers (Darnold really did love the idea of playing for Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith) for the quarterback’s services with the three-year deal that would give him $37.5 million in Year 1, a $55 million injury guarantee, and early-vesting roster bonuses in of $15 million and $10 million in February 2026 and ’27,” Breer wrote in a Monday morning column for SI.