The Pittsburgh Steelers enter an offseason that is different than any of the past 20 years. With Mike McCarthy now at the helm and another year of quarterback questions, is a soft rebuild what’s best for the Steelers? And what quarterback options are the best for 2026? That and more in this week’s mailbag.

Q: Please describe what would be considered a realistic tank season scenario. Keeping Rudy and Howard, and selecting a QB in the 3rd day of the Draft? Maybe even trading TJ? – Polamolicules_Dude

A: Something along those lines. Realistically, they should trade a lot of veterans. Trade Patrick Queen, trade T.J. Watt, trade Cam Heyward, trade Jalen Ramsey. Get as many picks in the 2027 draft as you can (they already have a ton of picks in this draft and the class isn’t highly-regarded).

Q: Hypothetically, let’s say that the new staff wants nothing to do with Rodgers, Rudolph, or Howard leaving Omar Khan to completely clean house at the position yet again. How would you build the QB room from scratch this off-season? – Blkgldtom

A: I would sign Malik Willis, draft a guy on Day Two or early Day Three (Drew Allar, Trinidad Chambliss), and then a veteran like Tyrod Taylor just to have a veteran in the room.

Q: Last time I asked in November, you in favor of picking up Broderick Jones’s 5th year option at $20M for 2027. I thought you were silly then, but you still riding with him? – AmperandSteel

A: Would lean no. Dylan Cook played well and if he can sustain that level of play, it wouldn’t make sense to pay so much more for Jones.

Q: I hear a lot of experts telling the rest of us that the Steelers “don’t have the draft capital to trade up” (as if it’s completely impossible for them to acquire the means.) If, hypothetically, the Steelers did want to trade up to the number one slot to take Mendoza, what would the actual price likely be? – SteelerSince73!

A: The Steelers aren’t trading up for the No. 1 pick. But, in a world where they would, they’d have to trade up at least twice. The Washington Commanders at No. 7 would be a team to target since they don’t need a quarterback and need edge rushers. Trade No. 21, one of their third-round picks, and either T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith to move up to No. 7. Then trade No. 7, their second-round pick, and next year’s first-round pick to get up to No. 1. It might cost more than that, too.

Q: 1. We seem to have some new coaching titles, like Chief Of Staff. What will these guys’ jobs entail? 2. Remind me of the deadline for Rodgers please. – steelwoman

A: Basically, he’s McCarthy’s right hand man. I don’t know what Scarnecchia’s exact duties will be, but he takes a bit of a load off McCarthy. In terms of a deadline, it was reported that the Steeles gave Rodgers a month to decide what he wants to do, and that was near the end of January, so I’d assume we’ll know one way or the other before March.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

For five years, Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania has honored outstanding young people in the area through its “18 Under Eighteen” program.

Applicants are nominated by people in their community and are selected through an extensive interview process. The 18 honorees — all younger than 18 years of age — are then paired with a professional coach for two months of development training, along with mentorship and leadership that follows them into their professional careers. The youngest honoree is 11 years old.

“A part of their journey is their first stop is with us, and we like to say we like to discover the stars and then, through that, they become a star,” said Patrice Matamoros, Junior Achievement regional president. “Some have written books, others have started their own nonprofits, they own and are [operating] functioning business organizations. It’s just really great.”

“They learn tips, tools and strategies that help them in a way that is absolutely incredible because most adults don’t get this type of professional coaching until they are an executive,” said BeNeca Ward, CEO of Moment to Focus and a Junior Achievement alumna. “It’s a mentorship, a leadership, a resource hub that we have prepared and are excited to share.”

Reese Sequite, a junior at Butler High School, is one of the 18 honorees and was nominated by a family friend for whom she babysat. She runs a program at her local YMCA where she teaches swimmers — ages 5 to 18 — who have disabilities.

“I remember looking into it and thinking, ‘I don’t know if this is … if I’ll get in, or what this is even about,’” she said. “But then, I interviewed and got accepted, and it’s been amazing. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Sequite has already completed a summer program with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, but her plans for her college education are still unknown. 

“I’m hoping to go to college in an area that has a lot of need, so I can continue volunteering, creating programs that have a large, tangible scale impact,” she said. “Just continue making an impact, continue being positive, continue being me.”

Patricia Rae Shanahan is a senior at North Allegheny High School, and through her initiative, “Heart and Hem,” she designs and sells clothes with the proceeds benefiting survivors of domestic violence in the Pittsburgh area. She says her mission is to turn fashion into a force for good.

“This experience has been amazing,” Shanahan said. “I have learned so much about myself, and I love the community that I’ve been surrounded with peers who are similar-minded as me, and who are passionate and driven to do great things for their community, and it’s been really, truly special.”

Shanahan plans to attend an undergraduate university after high school and study both biology and gender studies in an effort to help address issues like inequity in women’s health.

“Women’s health care is a very, very under-researched and under-developed field, and a lot of times women are stripped of their bodily autonomy when it comes to practices in women’s health care,” she said.

Program organizers say the honorees already have impressive resumes at young ages, but they’re being prepared for future success long into adulthood.

“It’s not just a one-time acknowledgement,” said Ward. “It’s them being seated into the work that we’re doing and making sure they have resources for life.”

Shanahan believes her hard work through “Heart and Hem” — along with her passion and optimism — has reaped this opportunity, but she also appreciates the potential this program gives her to further pursue her dreams.

“I want to tell anyone to embody that positivity, embody that optimism, and embody that mindset and so they can do similar things because everything’s possible,” she said.