Kirk Cousins Rumors: Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers listed as the best landing spot for Kirk Cousins in 2024

Among the teams that have been mentioned during the last few weeks as organizations that could sign Kirk Cousins this offseason, the Steelers have certainly been included in the discussion more than once.

Pittsburgh is coming off of a 2023 season in which they earned a playoff appearance and finished with a 10-7 record despite their offense ranking 28th in points scored per drive and the fact that three different quarterbacks started at least two games for them.

The Steelers are clearly looking for more stability under center, and it doesn't sound like they would like to give Kenny Pickett his starting job back for the 2024 season despite Pittsburgh using a first-round draft pick on him in 2022.

Cousins would be an intriguing option for Pittsburgh next season, especially after the Steelers recently hired former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to be their new offensive coordinator.

Smith found success with a veteran quarterback running his offense when he was the Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020, and Ryan Tannehill was utilized as the team's starter.

With Smith calling the shots, the Titans had an 18-8 record when Tannehill started, and the veteran quarterback had a passer rating of 111.3 during these matchups. He also completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 6,417 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2019 and 2020 with Smith as Tennessee's offensive coordinator.

Given what he was able to do with Tannehill, it doesn't seem crazy to believe Smith could also run a successful offense in Pittsburgh with Cousins starting under center.

All of this is part of why Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano recently listed the Steelers as the top destination for Minnesota's current quarterback this offseason.

Manzano wrote that Pittsburgh's current roster is one of the best fits for Cousins and that the Steelers probably have enough cap space this year to make an enticing offer to the veteran quarterback.

Similar to the situation Cousins entered in 2018 when he signed with the Vikings, in Pittsburgh, Manzano also pointed out that the Pro Bowl signal-caller would be joining a team with an elite defense (eighth in points allowed per drive in 2023), a pair of talented wide receivers (George Pickens and Diontae Johnson), a solid tight end (Pat Freiermuth), and an impressive duo in the offensive backfield (Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren).

Could we see Cousins in black and yellow in 2024?