Mark Madden's Hot Take: Don't get sucked in by Steelers QB chatter

This past week, a national sports website reported San Francisco will trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A Seattle radio station said the Seahawks would send QB Russell Wilson to the Steelers.

A football data site said Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr is headed to Pittsburgh.

A national TV show said Indianapolis QB Carson Wentz could be donning black and gold.

A local radio program speculated that the Steelers offered two first-round picks and receiver Diontae Johnson to Green Bay for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

All of that moved within 48 hours.

Not all of it can happen.

In fact, none of it will happen.

It’s fiction. It’s made up. It’s guesswork at best, lying at worst. It’s become a short leap from the opinion of “should happen” to the, er, fact of “could happen” or “will happen.”

Maybe the Steelers sign a low-budget veteran like Mitch Trubisky to compete for the QB job with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins. Maybe Rudolph is already ordained as the starter. Maybe the Steelers draft a quarterback in hope he’s the long-term replacement.

When any of those lesser options occur, you should feel stupid and played. Because you are and you will have been.

Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. It’s sexy, but it’s pandering. Especially when the discussion stinks of horse manure.