The Pittsburgh Steelers had multiple cracks at drafting big-name quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, but ultimately they decided to pass on the Colorado signal caller, instead watching him land in the AFC North with the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round. 

Two weeks later, while the Steelers are still waiting for a decision from 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the discussion of the Steelers and Sanders has come back up again, thanks to ESPN Radio’s Unportsmanlike and former NFL defensive end Chris Canty.

Appearing on the show Monday morning, Canty questioned if the decision to pass on Sanders by the Steelers is the “biggest mistake” of the Mike Tomlin era after Sanders had a strong showing over the weekend in the Browns’ rookie minicamp, garnering plenty of attention.

“Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a legitimate NFL starting quarterback on their roster, so, it got me to thinking. If Shedeur Sanders starts the majority of the games this season in Cleveland, is not drafting him the biggest mistake in the Mike Tomlin era of Steelers football?” Canty asked, according to audio via ESPN Radio. 

“Listen, if the Pittsburgh Steelers passed on Shedeur Sanders and he ends up being the franchise quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, a division rival, that is an absolute embarrassment. That is an embarrassment.”

The decision to pass on Sanders multiple times during the draft was rather surprising, considering the buzz that surrounded Sanders and the Steelers leading up to the event. Sanders was on the board at No. 21 when the Steelers were on the clock in the first round, and they drafted Oregon DL Derrick Harmon.

He was still on the board at No. 83 overall in the third round, and the Steelers passed again, drafting Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson. Then, he was on the board at No. 123 in the fourth round, and the Steelers passed again, drafting Ohio State OLB Jack Sawyer.

Eventually, Sanders came off the board at No. 144 in the fifth round as the Browns traded back up to land him. Now, he’s doing and saying all the right things in Cleveland, which has many buzzing about the quarterback with the Browns.

Social media was ablaze over the weekend with clips of Sanders, who had some moments with the Browns during rookie minicamp. That said, they were also on air, and in 7-on-7 settings.

Sanders wasn’t the only quarterback the Steelers passed on during the draft. They also passed on Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Ultimately, the Steelers drafted Ohio State’s Will Howard in the sixth round, a player many seem to like, and the fit is quite good in Pittsburgh.

But after Sanders did and said all the right things over the weekend, there’s the question of the Steelers passing on him while still having no answer at QB.

Sanders could have been that answer. He came to town for a pre-draft visit and raved about his meeting with the Steelers. Head coach Mike Tomlin raved about Sanders, too, during the Steelers’ pre-draft press conference. But there were a few reports that Sanders didn’t interview well across the league, and even one report that his interview with Pittsburgh was poor, though that was later shot down by Tomlin.

Despite speaking highly of Sanders and the noise around him and the Steelers building to a crescendo leading up to the draft, the Steelers passed, and now they might have to deal with him in the AFC North.

“If he plays in Cleveland and he’s great and they were seemingly waiting for Aaron Rodgers and they still didn’t have a guy, and then it results in Mike Tomlin’s first losing season then yeah, it’s definitely on the board,” Unsportsmanlike host Michelle Smallmon said of it being the biggest mistake of the Tomlin era.

Time will tell if Sanders amounts to anything major in the NFL. He’s a talented quarterback, one many deemed the most pro-ready in a down class. Landing in Cleveland with the Steelers still having issues at quarterback for 2025 and passing on him multiple times was a tough pill to swallow during the draft.

The Steelers seem to have a plan though, and that plan seemingly centers on the 2026 draft class at QB, which has the potential to be way better than the 2025 class. If it works out, Tomlin and the Steelers deserve some grace.

If not, criticize away. But speculating that it could be the worst mistake in the Tomlin era after Sanders had a good rookie minicamp is peak talking-head takes in the offseason.