Dan Marino: Steelers not drafting me ‘probably the best thing to happen to me’

Steelers fans, especially the old timers who were around when the Terrible Towels were becoming a thing, allow yourself to play a what-if game. How good could Pittsburgh have been if the team had selected native son Dan Marino?

Marino, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, is making the interview rounds this week in Las Vegas, giving his thoughts about the Chiefs and 49ers as the Super Bowl hype builds each day. Playing 17 years for the Dolphins for legendary coach Don Shula gives him that kind of cache.

But fate could’ve pushed Marino’s career another way more than four decades ago, What would have happened if the Steelers selected Marino? The quarterback could not have been more perfect, given that he grew up in Steel City and stayed in town to play collegiately for the Pitt Panthers. He’s almost like current quarterback Kenny Pickett, although Pickett grew up in New Jersey. And through year two, Pickett’s career is nowhere near a Hall of Fame track, but it’s still early.

Marino was part of that great NFL quarterback draft class of 1983. And the Steelers were looking for the heir apparent to Terry Bradshaw. Marino was there for Pittsburgh at pick No. 21. Instead, the Steelers opted for Texas Tech defensive lineman Gabe Rivera from Texas Tech. Rivera’s football career ended in October 1983 after Rivera was involved in a devastating car wreck. Meanwhile, the Dolphins selected Marino at No. 26.

Even Marino plays the what-if game.

“I thought about it many times during my career, Marino told Pat McAfee. “I think at the time, though, it probably was the best thing to happen to me. Because I played four years of high school right there at Central Catholic, then I played at Pitt right there in Oakland.

“To leave, I think, made me mature a lot quicker,” Marino said. “And (it) made me able to play a lot quicker than maybe if I would’ve stayed in Pittsburgh. But it would’ve been fun. It would’ve been a lot of fun.”

Here’s how that quarterback class filled out. The Broncos traded for the rights to John Elway at No. 1. The Chiefs used the seventh pick to select Todd Blackledge. The Bills went with Jim Kelly at 14. The Patriots opted for Tony Eason at 15. The Jets picked Ken O’Brien at No. 24. And Marino was the sixth quarterback of the first round, going at No. 27.

The Steelers, after passing on Marino, didn’t win a Super Bowl again until they knocked off the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Maybe Marino could’ve won a Lombardi Trophy for the hometown team if then-coach Chuck Noll had made a different NFL draft decision in 1983. Conversely, Marino didn’t win a Super Bowl in Miami, either. At the end of his career, Marino said he also had another chance to come back to Pittsburgh.

“To be honest with you, I played 17 years with the Dolphins,” Marino told USA Today in September, 2022. They were kind of going in a new direction, had a new coach. I had offers to go play other places and really thought about it. Maybe would’ve had a chance to win a championship like Matthew (Stafford) has done and other guys are trying to do in other places. After I thought about it for a long time, it just didn’t feel right. So I just decided I’ll just be a Dolphin for life. It worked out great, but I will tell you that I did think about that, yes.”