[2] Stewart held a variety of roles for the Steelers before becoming their starting quarterback in 1997, which saw him help guide the team to an AFC Championship Game appearance.
[6] On September 24, 1994, Stewart threw the game-winning, 64-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass into the end zone to wide receiver Michael Westbrook in the closing seconds to beat the Michigan Wolverines.
In the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts, he caught two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown that gave Pittsburgh a 10–6 lead at halftime in an eventual win.
He ran four times for 15 yards in the Super Bowl loss to the Dallas Cowboys, which proved to be his only trip to the big game.
When he fizzled out in the middle of the game, they went with Mike Tomczak (who had been with Pittsburgh since 1993), with the Steelers being bolstered by their off-season trade acquisition of Jerome Bettis.
Stewart threw three interceptions (two of which were made in the opposing Denver end zone), and lost a fumble accounting for all four Steeler turnovers in a 24–21 loss.
Prior to the 1998 season, the Steelers lost their offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey as he was signed as the Cowboys head coach.
In addition, Stewart's leading receiver and Pro Bowler Yancey Thigpen also left via free agency after the 1997 season.
Under the tutelage of new QB coach Tom Clements and new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Stewart had his best year as a pro, throwing for over 3,000 yards, completing 60 percent of his passes, and attaining a passer rating of 81.7.
After getting the same results from Chandler, he was reinserted as the starter, before getting benched in favor of rookie Rex Grossman after the Bears were eliminated from the playoffs.
Stewart was signed in 2004 by the Ravens to play a backup role to Kyle Boller, and later served as a replacement for the injured Anthony Wright.
He was unexpectedly successful as an emergency replacement for punter Dave Zastudil, being named NFL Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.
After confining him to many utility roles during the 1995 season, when the Steelers made it to Super Bowl XXX only to lose to the Dallas Cowboys, the team gave Stewart the opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback position in 1996.
Following a preseason battle, Bill Cowher named Jim Miller as the Steelers' starting quarterback and kept Stewart in his "Slash" role.
In a December 1996 game against the Carolina Panthers, Stewart set a then-NFL record for longest touchdown run by a quarterback with an 80-yard rush.
[citation needed] Following Boller's reactivation on November 9, 2005, the Ravens cut Stewart instead of keeping him as a third-string player, activating running back Musa Smith instead.
[23] In March 2017, Kordell won a $3 million lawsuit against internet personality Andrew Chad Caldwell, who made headlines in 2014 in front of a St. Louis church stating that he was delivered from homosexuality.
On March 23, 1998, Stewart appeared on the first-ever cover of ESPN The Magazine alongside Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez and Eric Lindros.
[27] Stewart later published an essay on The Players' Tribune, detailing the racism and false rumors of homosexuality he faced as the Steelers' quarterback.