Kordell Stewart achieved his goal of becoming a starting NFL quarterback. But did it cost him a chance at being a Hall of Famer at a different position? At quarterback, Stewart helped lead the Steelers to AFC Championship game appearances in 1997 and in 2001.
Some, however, feel that Stewart may have had a Hall of Fame-worthy career if he had switched to receiver, a move he volunteered to make during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. "Everybody in that city, I'm sure the majority probably said I could have gone to the Hall of Fame if I'd have stayed there," Stewart recently told CBS Sports while discussing his new HBO documentary that chronicles his one-of-a-kind NFL journey. A star quarterback at Colorado, Stewart wanted the chance to compete for the starting job when he entered the NFL in 1995.
During NFL Combine interviews, Stewart told the Steelers and other teams that he would be willing to play other positions because he knew that would increase a team's interest in drafting him. It didn't take long for the Steelers -- who picked him with the 60th overall pick -- to take Stewart up on his offer. Stewart was already having success as a receiver in practice when then-Steelers coach Bill Cowher asked him if he would consider playing other positions for the time being.
Stewart agreed, with the understanding that he would eventually get a chance to be the Steelers' quarterback. An agreement was made, and when Stewart made his NFL debut midway through his rookie season, Cowher listed him as a quarterback/wide receiver. "And I'll just call you Slash," Cowher recalled telling Stewart at the time.
It didn't take long for Slash to take Pittsburgh by storm. Stewart flourished in that role, which was a key ingredient in the Steelers' AFC championship run. Stewart's emergence as Slash coincided with the Steelers winning eight of their final nine games after a 3-4 start.
Stewart became a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators, who never knew where he would line up or how he would impact the game. His first NFL touchdown actually came against a Bill Belichick-coached defense. The most electric WR/QB hybrid in modern NFL history.Kordell Stewart: Slash & Burn now streaming on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/zD2jZI1hjq Stewart scored touchdowns in each of his roles that season, but he made his biggest impact as a receiver.
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