The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason to look forward to.
The biggest question hanging over the team as we speak is the future of head coach Mike Tomlin. While a firing seems unlikely, speculation has been rampant about his continuing. When asked about his contract status after the loss to the Bills, he walked away mid-question.
Beyond that, there is…the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
Question: Who does the locker room want to be the starting quarterback?
It’s been a while since the Steelers have had a quarterback controversy. That tends to happen when you have access to a Hall of Famer, as they did with Ben Roethlisberger. But if the last two years have shown us anything it is that that time is well and truly over. They have one now, and as Isaac Seumalo says, they need to get some solidarity there to move forward.
Optimistically envisioning him as a franchise quarterback, Kenny Pickett emerged last season as a rookie starter. He made improvements throughout the year and nearly brought them to the point of making the postseason.
While they continued to win games while he was out there, however, there’s no doubt that the standard of play from the quarterback position was highest during the 2023 season when it was occupied by Mason Rudolph. Former the third-string quarterback, he started the final four games, including the postseason loss, during which span he threw five touchdowns against one interception and led the offense to its greatest efficiency.
Assuming Rudolph is re-signed, due to be an unrestricted free agent, who do the players want to be the starter, however? Head coach Mike Tomlin said that the team was going to challenge Pickett for his starting job—hardly a surprise given that he spent the last two games of the season as a backup.
There was a whole kerfuffle during the week as many interpreted WR Diontae Johnson as endorsing Rudolph as the player who should be the starter over Pickett. While I believe it’s very possible that he feels that way privately, I do not believe for a second that is actually what he intended to say in an open locker room with cameras and audio recorders on him.
The elephant in the room is actually the one who isn’t in the room: the Steelers’ next offensive coordinator. Pickett only got a game and a half after Matt Canada was fired. It will be interesting to see how the 2024 offense takes shape, with whatever quarterback is on the field, under new management. And particularly if that can unlock a higher level of play from Pickett.
