Steelers Throwback Thursday: Top 5 franchise quarterbacks of all-time
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The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers will have a quarterback competition this coming training camp, and that’s not necessarily a bad position to be in. Former Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson is looking to finish his career with a bang after two disastrous seasons in Denver. After being cut by the Broncos following the circus that was the final two games of the 2023 season, Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. One day later, Justin Fields was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round draft pick and a conditional pick should Fields play 51% of the Steelers’ snaps in 2024.
Any debate about all-time great quarterbacks in a franchise’s history typically starts and ends with stats vs. rings. From there the conversation extends into how they elevate teammates, impact on the culture, longevity and fan following. While betting sites rarely have any impact on these conversations, they have become a key part of how fans engage with the sport, offering various betting options on player performances, outcomes and achievements.
While it is unlikely that Wilson or Fields will be with the Steelers long enough to add their names to the list of all-time greats, the following five quarterbacks have set the bar for the next generation. So, who made the list?
Ben Roethlisberger
Not only is “Big Ben” the greatest Steelers quarterback, but he is arguably among the greatest players in franchise history. Selected 11th in the 2004 Draft, Roethlisberger defied all odds during his rookie season. Not only would he win all thirteen of the games he started, but he would help lead the Steelers to the AFC Championship game and capture the Offensive Rookie of the Year award over players such as Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who were both drafted before him.
One season later, Roethlisberger was hoisting the first of two Super Bowl titles. Retired in 2021, Roethlisberger finished his career with the most passing yards, touchdown passes, and wins by a Steelers quarterback.
Terry Bradshaw
Some will claim that Bradshaw’s four Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVPs, and regular season MVP award trump Roethlisberger’s achievements. The fact that the Steelers have two great quarterbacks to have that debate over speaks to the talent of both men.
After being selected first overall in the 1970 NFL Draft, Bradshaw struggled his first two seasons before finding his footing. With a cannon for an arm, the “Blonde Bomber” guided the Steelers to two sets of back-to-back Super Bowl championship titles in 1975-76 and 1979-80.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, Bradshaw finished his career with a 107-51 record and three Pro Bowl appearances on top of his Super Bowl wins.
Kordell Stewart
“Slash” was a quarterback before his time. What fans see in Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and even a young Russell Wilson, Stewart was doing for the Steelers in the mid-1990s.
A dual-threat quarterback, Stewart did a little bit of everything for the Steelers during his first two seasons, seeing time at wide receiver and running back.
While a championship would elude him, Stewart would become a fan favorite during his eight years in Pittsburgh, becoming a full time starter in his third season. Finishing his time with the Steelers with 13,328 yards and 70 touchdown passes, good enough for third on both lists, Stewart posted a 46-29 record as a starter and earned a trip to the Pro-Bowl in 2001.
Neil O’Donnell
O’Donnell’s place on this list may be due to his short tenure in Pittsburgh but despite being more substance than sizzle, the 3rd-round pick from the 1990 NFL Draft earned a spot among the great quarterbacks in Steelers history. After a rookie season that saw him post a 2-6 record, O’Donnell had a Pro-Bowl worthy sophomore season – and did the same, if not better, for the last three seasons he spent in Pittsburgh.
In his final season wearing the black and gold, O’Donnell led the team to Super Bowl XXX, where the Steelers fell, 27-17, to the Dallas Cowboys in a game that saw him throw two costly interceptions.
Bobby Layne
When you look at Layne’s body of work, which includes three NFL titles, an All-Pro nomination, and six Pro Bowls (all but two of the Pro Bowl appearances came during his eight-plus seasons with the Detroit Lions), he’s not always among the top quarterbacks Steelers fans point out as a franchise-leading quarterback.
Layne certainly wasn’t a wash when he played his last five seasons in Pittsburgh. In his first year with the Steelers, Layne finished with a 7-2-1 record and ranked third in MVP voting. Layne would make two Pro-Bowl appearances as a member of the Steelers and finish with a record of 27-19-2 while throwing for 66 touchdowns.
