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. 

Stewart scored touchdowns in each of his roles that season, but he made his biggest impact as a receiver. 

In his first game, Stewart caught a 27-yard pass in an overtime win in Chicago. He caught a 21-yard pass a week later in a game that helped the Steelers win their final game in Cleveland before the Browns moved to Baltimore. 

In Cincinnati a week later, Stewart scored his first touchdown as a receiver while helping the Steelers turn a 31-13 deficit into a 49-31 come-from-behind win. At Green Bay in the regular season finale, Stewart caught six passes against a Packers team that needed to win to make the playoffs (Green Bay won a close game and ultimately got to within a game of the Super Bowl). 

In the AFC Championship game, Stewart gave the Steelers' offense a much-needed boost. On Pittsburgh's final drive of the first half, Stewart converted three third downs on the ground before catching the game's first touchdown to give the Steelers a 10-6 halftime lead. It proved to be a pivotal sequence in Pittsburgh's eventual 20-16 win over the Colts that sent the Steelers to their first Super Bowl since 1979. 

Stewart reprised his role as Slash the following season, and despite having more success in that role (he scored 10 touchdowns that included three as a receiver), Stewart felt it was time for Cowher to pay the piper. 

Cowher, like Stewart had two years earlier, made good on his promise and named Stewart as the Steelers' new starting quarterback entering the 1997 season. Once again, Stewart quickly had success in his new role. In the process, he helped revolutionize the position as a quarterback who could beat you with both his arm and his legs. 

Stewart led the Steelers to a fourth consecutive division title and an AFC Championship game appearance during his first season at quarterback. He made history that year by becoming the first player to throw at least 20 touchdowns and run for at least 10 scores in the same season. 

Stewart also became the first player in NFL history to have multiple games with three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the only player that has since joined Stewart with having multiple games with three touchdown passes and multiple touchdown runs. 

Stewart spent the majority of six seasons as the Steelers' starting quarterback. Over that span, Pittsburgh went 48-29 with Stewart as the starter. Stewart helped the Steelers win two playoff games, but there were also two painful losses in AFC championship games that were decided by a combined seven points. In both games, the Steelers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions. 

Stewart occasionally reprised his role at Slash, and whenever he did, he continued to make plays while showing his potential at receiver. 

Stewart knows that the decision to play quarterback may have cost him a career as a Hall of Fame receiver. For Stewart, though, what he and the Steelers accomplished together during those years was more than worth it. He takes pride in being able to transition from a playmaking receiver into a record-setting quarterback, something that was just as unique then as it would be now. 

"I don't think we'll ever have a chance to see that type of player ever again," Stewart said. "I don't think we'll ever have to see someone line up against Merton Hanks, Blaine Bishop, Chris Dishman, and Rod Woodson in the slot, and actually beat those dudes with touchdowns and catching the ball. Then, being cerebral enough coming from that position to be a starting quarterback and beat out the guys who were considered as quarterbacks throughout their entire career, while everyone else is looking at me as a wide receiver."

How did Stewart do it? By embracing the work that was required to be the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

"I kept my head down and worked," he said, "and handled myself with a level of dignity and honoring the game and respecting the organization and the city. Dealing with everything with this acronym of sacrifice, leadership, adaptability, standard, and honor. 

"I like the city to identify with that. Some won't, and that's OK, but when you ask me what I thought and how I wanted to be perceived, I think that's a Hall of Fame type speech right there." 

HBO's new original documentary "Kordell Stewart/ Slash & Burn" is now streaming on HBO Max. It tackles Stewart's career and the devastating rumor that has followed him for decades.