The list of quarterback options linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers by various members of the local and national media seems to be growing by the day. The Steelers have just one quarterback currently under contract in Kenny Pickett, so they have a lot of work ahead of themselves to provide him with competition and solidify the 2024 plan at the most important position on the field. This is an attempt to rank those quarterbacks in order of likelihood of them ending up in Pittsburgh based on comments by Mike Tomlin, Art Rooney II, and various reports from Steelers insiders in the local media.
Keep in mind, Tomlin said the 2024 starter is already on the roster, and team president Art Rooney II defended Pickett, saying he has shown himself to be a winner during their respective end-of-season media sessions. Rooney also stated the team is unlikely to make a blockbuster trade for a quarterback, though he did say the door isn’t closed to any possibilities at this point in the offseason.
1. Mason Rudolph – Free Agent
This has always been the most likely player to provide competition to Pickett. It would be taking the status quo route, but signing Rudolph to another deal at the beginning of free agency will be the first domino to fall that will dictate the rest of what the Steelers do at the position. It is tough to determine what kind of market a sixth-year veteran with just 13 career starts will drum up, but he put some solid tape out there in the final three weeks of the regular season. NFL Network Insiders reported he may have indicated he wants a fresh start in free agency, but perhaps his best chance of seeing the field again is back in Pittsburgh.
2. Ryan Tannehill – Free Agent
The Steelers have all but said outright that Pickett is likely to be the Week 1 starter. For that reason, the QBs toward the top of this list are league veterans who won’t necessarily expect to be the starter at signing. Tannehill makes a lot of sense given his connections to OC Arthur Smith from their time spent together in Tennessee. This wouldn’t excite fans, to say the least, but Tannehill is a veteran who is more than capable of stepping in and won’t command a large contract on the open market at age 36 by the time the season starts.
3. Joe Flacco – Free Agent
The former QB of the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns has expressed that he wants to play in 2024 and has no desire of retiring. He has a lot of experience starting in the AFC North, so he would provide value in having that knowledge of the identity of each team in the division. Despite his stellar play to help the Browns into the playoffs last season, an age-39 quarterback likely won’t get an offer to come be the Week 1 starter somewhere. But Pittsburgh’s shaky QB situation could provide him a solid chance of seeing the field at some point in the season.
4. Marcus Mariota – Free Agent
Mariota has ties to Arthur Smith as well from the Falcons in 2022. He is a veteran backup at this point in his career and could be an option if the Steelers are unable to sign Rudolph. He started 13 games in 2022 with a 5-8 record. He would not be an expensive option and would fit what the Steelers are reportedly looking for: a veteran who isn’t expecting to come in and be QB1 but could start if needed. Mariota also just helped out with Nate and Nick Herbig’s football camp.
5. Taylor Heinicke – Atlanta Falcons
Heinicke is another QB with ties to Smith from their time together in Atlanta last season. He is still under contract for the 2024 season, but the Falcons would only eat $2 million in dead money with solid cap savings if they release him. He has just under 29 starts, so he would be bringing a fair amount of starting experience and would not be an expensive option to provide competition to Pickett. He isn’t guaranteed to be available, but the Falcons have a new regime and will likely be looking to add to their QB depth chart, which could squeeze Heinicke out.
6. Justin Fields – Chicago Bears
Fields has probably been the QB most often linked to the Steelers throughout speculation season. Mike Tomlin and some of the Steelers’ scouts reportedly loved him in his pre-draft process back in 2021. He has the mobility to be a dual threat and could mesh well with the Steelers’ intended identity of being a run-first team. They would need to trade for him. The Bears don’t have a ton of leverage given the prevailing assumption that they will select a quarterback with the first overall pick in the draft, but it would still likely cost a Day 2 pick or so to acquire him.
From there, they would have little time to make a decision on his fifth-year option, but given the draft capital investment, one would think they would only make the move with the intent of picking the option up. This would more or less marry the Steelers to Fields for two seasons and make Pickett the backup without a solid chance to see if he can salvage his career in a new offensive system.
7. Drafted Rookie
At pick 20, and with many leading draft analysts placing a handful of quarterbacks in the first round, there is a chance one of the top guys could slide down to the Steelers. It would present them with a very interesting decision to make. There are plenty of other holes to fill on the roster that would provide a more immediate upgrade to the team. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye will almost certainly be off the board, and it seems unlikely the Steelers would trade up for a quarterback.
Their first-round options might include Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., or J.J. McCarthy. Perhaps Spencer Rattler, who had a great start to his pre-draft process at the Senior Bowl, could be an option on Day 2.
8. Jimmy Garoppolo – Las Vegas Raiders
Garoppolo is still under contract, but he is reportedly going to be cut prior to the start of free agency. His last contract was a three-year $67.5 million contract with the Raiders. He didn’t play particularly well against the Steelers in 2023, and while he won’t command serious money any longer, his addition would not elevate the quarterback room or provide any real value. He was benched for seventh-round rookie Aidan O’Connell last season and was one of the few QBs to have a worse adjusted net yards per passing attempt than Pickett last season.
9. Russell Wilson – Denver Broncos
This is another player who would be brought in to be the starter. There is almost no chance that Wilson would agree to go somewhere to be the backup. He is still under contract with the Broncos, but their relationship appears to be past the point of mending. He will likely be cut and free to sign anywhere in the league. He was once on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory and actually had a fairly solid 2023 season after struggling mightily in 2022. The Broncos still owe him a ton of guaranteed money, so he would be relatively inexpensive to whichever team signs him.
10. Kirk Cousins – Free Agent
The last contract Cousins received had voidable years included, so his contract will void on March 12, just before the start of free agency. He is 35 years old and is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, but he was playing some of the best football of his career prior to the injury. He is likely the most expensive option on this list. The Steelers would have some work to do to fit him into their salary cap as of right now, but Cousins would instantly make the Steelers contenders. However, it is very possible the Vikings do not let him walk.
