Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that the Pittsburgh Steelers would make significant changes heading into the offseason after a disastrous five-game losing streak to end the 2024 season. He acknowledged that staff changes would likely be a part of the equation. That being said, the Steelers still retained both offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. The true significant change took place in the quarterback room.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II said that he intended to keep either quarterback Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, both signed to one-year contracts in 2024. After negotiations fizzled out and both players signed with New York teams, the Steelers opted to reunite with an old friend: Mason Rudolph. Even with the massive trade for star wide receiver DK Metcalf, it still feels like the Steelers haven’t made the substantial offseason changes that fans expected following the season.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report released an article ranking the biggest offseason losers in each NFL division, and he listed the Steelers as the biggest loser in the AFC North.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Aaron Rodgers waiting game, a risky gamble with Mason Rudolph as the front-runner for the starting quarterback position,” wrote Moton. “If Rodgers walks away from the game, Pittsburgh can turn its attention to Atlanta Falcons backup signal-caller Kirk Cousins, who’s looking for a starting job. If Rodgers signs with the Steelers, he’s a 41-year-old quarterback who posted his worst QBR and passer rating in his last two full years as a starter with the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets.
“Either way, the Steelers could take a step back with their current quarterback situation, which isn’t ideal for a veteran-laden team in win-now mode.”
At this point, the Steelers seem pretty desperate to sign Aaron Rodgers. They went from having to make a difficult decision between keeping one of two quarterbacks, to being in a position where they are praying that a 41-year-old with a recent major injury decides not to retire and sign with Pittsburgh. If he does sign with the Steelers, they will undergo a one-year attempt to salvage whatever is left of the future Hall-of-Famer with the hopes of making a magical playoff run backed by their veteran defense.
Compared to the rest of the AFC North, the Steelers downgraded at the most important position in football, while the Ravens and Bengals held on to all their key playmakers on offense, and the Browns fully embraced the rebuild by loading up on draft picks.
Pittsburgh should get some credit for some other positional moves like the signing of veteran cornerback Darius Slay, but it’s a quarterback’s league, and the Steelers are in an ugly spot at quarterback right now.
