With the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints wrapping up their offensive coordinator searches by reportedly bringing in Luke Getsy and Klint Kubiak, respectively, it should mean the return of quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sullivan interviewed for both offensive coordinator vacancies, but with the teams going in another direction, Sullivan will likely be back working with Kenny Pickett and Pittsburgh’s quarterback room for a fourth season.
Sullivan became Pittsburgh’s primary play-caller prior to Week 12 after Matt Canada was let go, but in his role as quarterbacks coach, no one is closer to Kenny Pickett than him. Despite all the talk show speculation about the Steelers adding a Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins-type quarterback in free agency, the Steelers are more than likely going to roll with Pickett and a veteran, like Mason Rudolph or Ryan Tannehill, to compete for the job. Sullivan’s relationship with Pickett will give the quarterback some continuity that he so desperately needs. While it’s not a guarantee that Sullivan will be back, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted in his weekly chat that Sullivan would return if he didn’t get an offensive coordinator job, which appears is going to be the case.
If you count Eddie Faulkner’s promotion to interim offensive coordinator this season, Pickett will be entering his third season working with his third different offensive coordinator. I’m not excusing that for his struggles, although Matt Canada’s scheme did Pickett no favors, but having a familiar face in Sullivan working closely with Pickett every day should be a major help to getting him up to speed and developing into the quarterback he needs to be.
2024 is going to be Pickett’s last chance. If he can’t put it together in Year Three, the Steelers are going to explore alternative options to find their quarterback of the future. To have someone who knows Pickett well and has talked about how much he enjoys working with him in Sullivan around is going to help Pickett through the offensive coordinator change and get him up to speed.
The Steelers could also look to add around Sullivan, as Mike Tomlin didn’t shoot down the notion that the Steelers could add to their offensive staff during his end-of-year press conference. It won’t be a case of having too many cooks in the kitchen because Pittsburgh has one of the smallest coaching staffs in football. But having Sullivan as a familiar face and the main guy that Pickett can turn to is going to help him out.
Change is necessary, and bringing Smith on as offensive coordinator is a move I really like. But with a young quarterback who’s struggled throughout his career, some sense of familiarity and continuity is important. So if Sullivan does indeed return with Pittsburgh as it seems like he will, it’s going to help Pickett. Obviously, Pickett turning his career around and becoming a top-10 quarterback isn’t going to happen overnight, and it might not ever happen. But the chances of it happening I think are increased with a quarterbacks coach that he’s familiar with and he respects in addition to a new OC in Smith that was able to get the most out of Tannehill during his time in Tennessee.
We’ll see how the offensive staff shakes out and who, if anyone, ends up being let go or added. But Sullivan staying will be key for Pickett’s overall development and the quarterback room as a whole, and it’s good news that he’ll likely be back in the building.
