The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have their quarterback room set to begin the 2025 NFL season. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac argued the team will place injured rookie quarterback Will Howard on injured reserve, which will open a space for Skylar Thompson to be the team’s QB3 to begin September.
But Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora had another idea — trade Thompson to maximize his value now.
Thanks to an injury to backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell during Week 3 of the preseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are a logical destination for a veteran signal-caller.
Kozora proposed the Steelers send Thompson to the Raiders for a Day 3 selection.
“Flipping Thompson to the Raiders wouldn’t bring in a big haul. A Day Three pick saw, maybe a straight-up sixth or seventh-round pick,” Kozora wrote. “But Pittsburgh has been eager to load up on 2026 draft picks in what could be the team’s largest collection of selections in recent memory — or more ammunition to use them in a trade pursuing a first-round quarterback.
“Clearly, a late round pick won’t move the needle in landing the next franchise great. But the more options and flexibility a team has in its draft capital, the easier it is to navigate those waters.”
Why the Raiders Could Add New QB
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported O’Connell will miss 6-8 weeks because of a fractured right wrist. He sustained the injury in Las Vegas’ preseason finale Saturday night.
If the Raiders simply go with the next man up in their quarterback room, they will have a sixth-round rookie as their backup directly behind Geno Smith. Kozora argued that’s less than ideal for veteran but first-year Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.
“With thin quarterback depth behind starter Geno Smith, Las Vegas figures to search for a veteran backup,” Kozora wrote. “O’Connell will be shelves 6-8 weeks and almost certain to begin the season on injured reserve, leading rookie Cam Miller as the current No. 2.
“That’s going to change. The Raiders won’t enter the season with an undersized and Day 3 rookie one snap away from dictating how well Pete Carroll’s first season with the Raiders goes.”
Thompson won’t be Las Vegas’ only option. The Raiders could wait for other quarterbacks to be roster cuts before Tuesday rather than make a trade.
The most obvious veteran quarterback that’s likely to be available is Tyler Huntley. Unless the Cleveland Browns place two of their signal-callers on IR to begin the season (their quarterback room has dealt with a lot of nagging injuries during the preseason), then Huntley won’t have a roster spot in Cleveland.
But the expectation should be that the Raiders will add some type of veteran quarterback before the regular season begins.
Skylar Thompson’s Stellar 2025 Preseason for Steelers
Thompson has become a discussion point for Steelers fans, both as a roster candidate and trade chip, because of how he played in the preseason.
In three games, Thompson completed 41 of 56 passes (73.2%) for 498 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. During Thursday’s preseason finale, Thompson went 11-for-13 while averaging 11.7 yards per pass with a touchdown.
Thompson also has NFL regular season experience. He hasn’t played particularly well in his brief appearances, but that experience is still valuable for a depth NFL quarterback.
Thompson has dressed for 10 games in the regular season, starting three of them. He is 1-2 as a starter. Overall, he has completed 58.7% of his passes for an average of 5.2 yards per attempt. He’s also thrown one touchdown with three interceptions.
In January 2023, Thompson also started a playoff game for the Miami Dolphins.
That experience could lead to the Steelers simply keeping Thompson as their QB3 because of Howard’s injury. Tomlin made a point about how valuable the quarterback’s experience could be for the team during his postgame press conference Thursday.
But it’s also possible Thompson won’t ever have higher value than he does right now. For that reason, the Steelers could consider selling high on the signal-caller.
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