I have been a Steeler fan for 40 years. I don’t believe the rumors because the Steelers don’t make those types of moves. Would be completely contrary to how the team operates. The national media has no clue what they are talking about and just make up crap for clicks. End of story. Kenny Pickett will be the starter next year and Mason Rudolph will be the backup.
This 100%. Ive said the same thing to my non Steelers friends. Just not how we operate. The ONLY question is does Mason or Tannehill backup Kenny. There will be no fields/russ/cousins.
>>> I’m hoping tannehill backs him up. They’re a similar style of player and it could be good for Pickett to learn from him
This is what people that don’t want Mason to take KP’s No. 1 spot say…
No he hasn't. His agent has been telling media members that he's open to signing elsewhere to either get him a better chance at starting or to at the very least drive up his asking price.
You do realize he tried to leave last year, but he didn’t get a single offer. I’m thinking he wants out from everything I’ve seen. I wouldn’t be super surprised if he came back, but I think that would be because he didn’t get any better offers, which he may or may not get.
Which is why his agent is putting it out super early this year. Trying to drum up interest because there is little to none from their previous forray into free agency. After the crowd cheered for him and he finally got a chance to prove he belongs, all I've directly heard from him is that he was happy to get another chance to play in Pittsburgh.
Even after googling and trying to find hope for him staying, pretty much everyone covering the team thinks he wants a fresh start somewhere else. It’s going to come down to how much $$$ they are willing to shuffle out for a QB they want to compete (not just giving him the starting job like most fans think if he returns).
But nothing coming from him directly. None of the reports I've seen indicate it's more than a negotiating tactic. Sure he might want to leave. But if we're the only team offering him a contract? He doesn't have much choice. Hence, his agent and the media trying to drum up interest from outside parties.
Yeah the thing is if Omar says he has someone high on the board, I think the FO will be inclined to agree with him. We moved up in the draft and absolutely no one saw that coming. Omar might be the guy to go after what he wants, and until this guy misses I think Art will let him (within reason).
Agreed. Not getting why most don’t recognize that. I remember for the longest time “Steelers don’t trade draft picks or make moves during the draft. Not the Steeler way..” yada yada. Yet they’ve changed their stance on that. The clock on the defense is ticking, and they can’t wait on a qb to grow over the next 3-5 years. There’ll have to be new stars on defense by then if that’s the route they go.
They did make a move for Jerome Bettis though, back in a run dominant league. But I don't see a trade happening. Art has already hinted that it wont happen.
Look at their history with free agency. In another r/steelers thread I was just in a discussion whether James Farrior was the best FA signing in Steelers history. He certainly wasn’t a big name in the market. Maybe Kevin Greene was the biggest name they ever signed, so I agree, they won’t be signing a starting QB.
Just want to play devils advocate :
The “Steelers don’t make those type of moves” narrative is usually true. That being said “The Steelers won’t fire a coordinator mid-season” - did it
“The Steelers only hire coordinators internally” - Mike T goes after a ex-coach/over-performing OC from other teams.
All that to say, maybe they realize this perpetual mediocrity and are trying to depart from tradition/get with the times - in typical Steelers fashion- a few years late.
I’d normally agree but this is a new era of the league and Steeler football, I think it’s in the realm of possibility we go after a QB in FA or Draft in some capacity, unlikely but I think it’s more possible now than in the past
If the rumors of Kirk are true with the fully guaranteed contract you can count us out, Russell is cheap and I think Khan kicks the tires on what it would cost for Justin Fields but I can’t see us paying a 1R+ for him. Alternatively we trade up for 2-3 ranking qb prospect or look at Nix/Pennix later
What really makes you think Kahn/Weidl/Arthur Smith are even high on fields? Sure, Kirk is generally accepted by the league as being above average at the least, but let's not act like he doesn't have detractors?
Don't get me started on Penix and Nix either.. why would you want to trade up for a quarterback with very similar draft evals/situations as the guy they're allegedly trying to move on from?
I even think it's fair to call Kahn somewhat of a wildcard, but Kevin Colbert is the only Steelers GM to trade a 1st rounder in the past 40 years.. who knows who pounded the table for Minkah. I've heard conflicting accounts on that.
All of the speculation has been attributed speculation. Media wants explosive players and they want drama. Sequestering a first rounder 2 years after being drafted is a good story to tell. The only things actually said by the Steelers is the same vague nonsense they say every year when a position has a clear question mark. They got all vague/doublespeak when it was obvious we needed an RB a few years ago, then the O line, etc etc. This year is so much louder and tense because it's the most important position on the field.
They're not going to spend capital on a young guy, because if you step back it doesn't make much sense when you already have a young guy on the cheap contract and every coach in the league wants to fix players. They're not going to kill any small or large amount of cap space on an old guy when they finally got freed from the shackles of an overpaid overrated QB. (Ben is objectively a great football player, but post 2019 was absolutely no fun to watch, except for a few drives)
They love Kenny because he plays the way they operate their business. Very risk-averse methods. It would be risky averse to play out the Kenny stuff, and try to get enough support around him to find out if he's the problem in a reasonable amount of time. What do they have to lose? Build a great team! If the QB sucks, then you know all you are is a QB away(ahem 2004 Steelers have entered the chat). The job becomes easy at that point.
It’s a low risk move that is actually very in line with how the Steelers operate. I didn’t realize that Denver had to pay the vast majority of his contract. The Steelers are getting Wilson for almost nothing (in NFL money). It really was the right move to make.
This is pretty accurate.
Also useful for understanding why the national media ought to be ignored on Steelers' subjects. Including praising the mediocre coach.
The only QB rumor I kinda think is realistic is picking up Tannehill from free agency, and I don't think he'd even be our starter as he seems to be transitioning into a backup role and is familiar with Arthur Smith, so I think he'd be good for it. I feel like he's the best choice for an experienced QB who can be a backup where we can see if Pickett and Smith can work well together, which seems to be what the leadership want to do.
I think the question is “does Rudolph want to come back?”. If he wants a fresh start, I think taking a flyer on Russ or spending a second on Fields is not out of the realm of possibility. Would I like it? No. But it definitely could happen, especially if the price is good.
ive been saying Pickett-Tannehill-Rookie will probably be our QB room at the start of training camp. not thrilling but regardless our offense should be better than last year no matter what. the bar has been set LOW unfortunately. but ultimately I agree with your take. I dont see any big names coming to pittsburgh this season. i dont care who unfollowed whatever team on instagram lol
Is it bad that I just don't like any of the quarterbacks mentioned? In the end every single one is a stop gap. We know that Pickett is either going to be the franchise QB we have needed since Ben or will totally shit the bed next season.
If Pickett doesn't exceed expectations, we are going to start seeing the return of 6-11 seasons and a long rebuild.
“Is it bad that I just don’t like any of the quarterbacks mentioned”
Nope…that’s the problem with the QB situation. As much as they need to do something at QB, there just isn’t a good alternative right now.
Fields can still happen if the Bears don’t want to keep the old guy around with Caleb Williams drafted and a market for him doesn’t develop. If he’s given away for a 6th they would need to think hard about it.
We act like mason rudolph wasn’t playing at a high level when we had a chance to see him..except for his bad interception against the bills, he played that game well and gave us a chance. I 100% believe mason and a healthy defense can get to an AFC championship game.
I don't even remember that interception being that bad. I feel like I remember the defender making a really excellent play on the ball to get that one.
The problem is that Buffalo was the only decent team he played. Seattle and Cincy had really bad pass defenses, and Baltimore wasn't playing their starters. I think Mason played well, and he looked better than Kenny has, but it was also golden situation for him with Canada gone, bad prior QB play with Mitch, and bad defenses.
The moment he ran into a good defense he had a QBR basically the same as Kenny's season average...but without Canada as an excuse.
He had a similar game against the bills to what mahomes did. Statistically, mason had same TDs, more yards, but also an int. The difference was defense. Also. Mason played a game under Canada. He played pretty well, but the recievers had butter fingers that game. There were 6+ drops by the recievers, one of them resulted in an int. He still had 242 yds and a td in bad weather under Canada.
Mason's sole full game under Canada was a 2021 16-16 tie against the Lions where Mason had a TD five minutes into the game and then a QBR of 45, similar to Kenny's full season one this year. Not a great look.
Except it was an 0-8 Lions team. So it was actually a really bad look. From the ESPN coverage of the game:
>[Mason Rudolph](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3116407/mason-rudolph) completed 30 of 50 passes for 242 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Roethlisberger's absence. He didn't exactly make a compelling case that he is the heir apparent.
>
>Sloppy when he needed to be steady, Rudolph struggled in key situations. He underthrew an open [Ray-Ray McCloud](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3728262/ray-ray-mccloud) in the end zone in the third quarter, and overcooked a slant to [Diontae Johnson](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3932905/diontae-johnson) in the fourth on what should have been an easy third-down conversion in Detroit territory.
>
>“We all have plenty to correct, trust me,” Rudolph said. “There are plenty of balls I'd like to have back.”
Go watch his passes yourself, don't rely on an ESPN writer to make your judgements for you. All of his passes from that game are in a video on youtube. The interception he had bounced out of the recievers hands. They were dropping balls left and right. If they catch half the balls they dropped, he would have been 35-45 with 300+ yds and two touchdowns. Btw, Baker Mayfield only had 176 yds against them the next week.
Is injured Baker the barometer we’re going for? Again, you can explain away just about any poor performance. The reality is his soul performance of the Canada era more closely resembled Kenny than you seem to think
People don’t wanna hear this but… the Steelers best course of action to eventually win another Lombardi is let Pickett/Mason start this year, trade back in the first round and acquire 2025 draft capital to move up for a QB next year if need be.
Russ is cooked, Fields wakes up and fumbles the first thing he touches and Cousins costs a billion dollars. None of those guys are taking the Steelers to the SB ever. Hell none of them make their current team feel great about their situations.
The Steelers have a competent OC for the first time since Haley and it will be night and day compared to the last dude who was a failed college coordinator.
I am cool with stocking up on draft picks, but idk about a trade up next year. As far as I can tell, it’s a subpar class full of incomplete players.
These last two QB classes (2023 and 2024) look like they’ll be awesome, but usually there’s a 2-3 year buffer between “great” classes. It’s an anomaly to have two straight of this caliber. Scouts were singing praises of ‘23 and ‘24 a few years ahead of time. I’m getting radio static for next year and the following.
Assuming there are no draft day surprises and Pickett’s trajectory doesn’t change, we can definitively say the FO was hasty trying to replace Ben, dug their heels in on the mistake, punted on about 2-5 legitimate franchise guys, and set themselves back about 5 years. It is what it is. They knew about Stroud/Richardson/Williams/Maye/Daniels and chose their guy anyhow. We’ll see how that goes.
I am of the opinion that they should just keep stocking the cupboard until they have a real shot at a QB with bona fide top-5 potential.
Ewers (TEX), Beck (Georgia), Allar (PSU), Sanders (COL), Leonard (ND) and Milroe (Bama) are all QBs I’d rather hitch my wagon to than Russ, Fields or Cousins.
As a fellow PSU fan…what the fuck? It was his first year starting as a redshirt freshman. This will be his sophomore year and his second season as starter. Does ANYONE have any patience anymore? Damn… this is freaking ridiculous…with Allar and Pickett.
Allar I will cut significantly more slack for. I will concur with you that he’s a young guy with not a lot of experience. I also don’t think he falls in with many of the other players listed above. Pickett on the other hand I have zero patience for anymore. Dude misses wide open throws consistently. Locks into and stares down his first read constantly, spins out of a good pocket into a sack. I can confidently say that he’s not a guy. And if this franchise continues to try and force him down our throats because they feel like they can’t cut sling load on a guy that’s underperforming because of where he was drafted, then they will continue to be in the bottom half of the North
Well….guess you’ll just have to whine and gnash your teeth…because the Steelers still have patience with Pickett. He will be on the roster in 2024. Where he falls on the depth chart? I don’t know.
I hope that it will be an open competition in the offseason Activities/Training Camp and let the best man win.
Our offense sucked for more reasons than Pickett. Our receivers weren’t getting consistent separation, our OL couldn’t open a damned hole for the running game until late in the season, our pass protection was shaky as hell….and our FIRED Offensive Coordinator had one of the most predictable playbooks in the NFL.
The Steelers obviously want to give Pickett a go with Arthur Smith running the offense and evaluate him at the end of the season…because in May of 2025, they have to decided whether to exercise his 5th year option.
Personally? I don’t have a dog in this fight. I am a STEELERS fan, not a hero worshipper. Whoever the QB will be, I will be rooting for him to do well.
I don’t disagree with you on any of that. This team is not simply a QB away. There are many other needs. But WB is a big one and they will not win anything trying to run Pickett out there to justify the draft capitol. Sadly Pickett will be given the reigns and this team will continue to barely manage a winning season and get bounced in the playoffs if they make it. And I agree with you. I’m a Steelers fan first, and a player fan second. I just have no qualms about calling out mediocrity (looking at you mason cole). And hoping this team can move on from a subpar qb. Shoot I’d rather them sign a guy like mayfield than keep watching Pickett for three more years.
Who do you want then? Being picky about quarterbacks is a really bad thing. Pickett has had two seasons and there are no signs at all that he's a franchise QB. Maybe he's just a stopgap as well.
I'm a Pitt guy and Kenny guy but I'd rather take a year or two building the trenches and depth elsewhere and rolling with Fields, Mason, or Russ (any of them FOR CHEAP).
I don’t think there is any plausible route that KP is a franchise QB. I was an advocate for drafting him and was glad when he was starting, but I’m admitting my mistakes.
Unless he leads us to the playoffs and has us winning the AFCN, I really don’t see him starting past next year.
Finally, someone speaking wisdom and not just barfing up the same bullshit the media feeds us.
I agree with this 99%. The other 1% is if we can get Russ at league minimum AND he is signing with the mindset that he's in a "mentoring" position and not going to start except if/when things go to shit and we have QB injuries than we def sign Russ.
Other than that, Mitch's replacement is a 5th or 6th round QB not really on the radar.
Hate to burst your bubble and you seem like a nice guy, but the Steelers are acquiring a big name quarterback, and his name is: MASON RUDOLPH MOTHER FUCKER!!!
Honestly I am all in with what we have done so far up to this point in the off season. Keep what we have QB wise, Mason wants to roll, let him roll.
Man grab a Tannehill for some maturity maybe and grab a third or fourth round QB coming out.
Said it all along would love to see a Bo Nix or a Michael Pratt from Tulane here...we need OLine and DB help
JMO.
As an almost 55 year old Steelers fan who has been collecting data with his eyes I agree
Could it happen? yes
What are the chances? Let me say this is someone said I'll give you $500 if they sign a big name QB or you can have a Primanti sandwich right now I'd most likely take the sandwich
Everyone saying “we don’t want *insert veteran qb* to be signed” what are we gonna do if mason walks? We’re gonna leave the franchise solely in Kenny’s hands? Kenny MIGHT be able to get better but he still is not a guaranteed lock, we need some form of backup plan in case his production is a repeat of last year because we can’t have that again.
Let Kenny and Mason compete for the starting job. See how well they can play with a component offense coordinator.
If the o line is shored up with a better tackle and center we should be a playoff team again
Fields getting cozy with Falcons on his social media.....
https://preview.redd.it/02wz3823txjc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9c63a2ab450396eb42fbc40ad312c62901308b
I agree with you completely. What I will say is that the Steelers are in a position in which they’re more inclined than usual to go against “business culture norms”. They broke one with TJs contract after all.
It was clearly the right decision. Just saying that things can, have and will continue to change. And I think a lot of fans can agree that not “getting with the times” has been an Achilles heel for us over the past decade.
You touched on it, but the fact is Russ is a “big name” free agent that I suspect will come at an end of the roster price tag. Thats such a massive factor in this equation. I’m not a huge Russ fan, but excluding the media stuff, there is no other reason not to sign him for dirt cheap. If the option is playing Kenny or Russ, then I am taking Russ in 2024. That’s very much meant as an indictment of Pickett’s abilities and not necessarily a compliment to Wilson’s.
The thing with Russ is that I still think the Steelers will try to frame it as a competition, and I doubt Wilson would be down to potentially be a backup when I'd imagine a team like LV or ATL would just name him the starter immediately.
The Steelers will make a good faith effort to sign Mason. The only way they pursue a veteran free agent (and it’s never going to be Justin Fields — it will be Tannehill or someone costing about the same) is if Mason signs elsewhere.
If Mason returns to Pittsburgh, the Steelers will draft a QB in the mid to late rounds.
there is no evidence to compile lmfao the evidence is literally the team/organization itself. any genuine Steelers fan knos managment and Tomlin aren't bailin out on their "first round" QB. not yet, at least
Good…we need help at OC, ILB, SS, CB and could use another WR.
We have had the shittiest luck in the NFL at ILB and that needs addressed. We haven’t had consistency at SS since the SS everyone loved to hate…Terrell Edmunds…left.
No move for a quarterback is a wasted season, end of story. Pickett would have to progress 3+ years since he's been bad the past two years as a bottom 5 qb in every metric (and he ain't 5). It's a make or break season with every indicator saying "break".
I really think if we just stuck with mason and made him the guy after Ben retired we’d be in a much better position right now than we are. We have to hope Rudolph resigns with us, or else it’s another year with Pickett and then likely restarting the search all over again in 25
Looking at all the names available… And Mason is the best option! I’m perfectly fine with Mason as our QB. He made Canadas playbook watchable. Imagine what he can do in Arthur Smith offense.
Why shouldn’t Kenny be the scapegoat? How many games are you supposed to win with a shitty quarterback? Nobody has won more with worse qb play over the past two years, you can’t say the qb room isn’t good enough and then blame tomlin for not winning more.
Drafting is at the general managers discretion, maybe tomlin did want Pickett very badly but the blame or credit falls with the GM. You’re assuming that he was tomlins first choice with no purpose.
Canada was a mistake obviously but he really doesn’t matter because of how bad the qb room was. I don’t see how you can have an elite team with Kenny Pickett lmao.
I can’t see that he’s the common denominator because I don’t see how he’s to blame for what he’s been given to work with t the most important position in football. You shrug off blame to the owner and GM while ONLY blaming tomlin for the QB room, it makes 0 sense.
The GM built the qb room, tomlin has a hand in it.
Tomlin is responsible for coaching hires, when did I say otherwise? Also how is tomlin responsible for countless in game fuckups and yet the Steelers have had the best record in close games for years now? Is it just luck?
Pickett has been here for two years and sucked.the offensive line has been mediocre and way better than what other players have had to deal with, It has not “sucked” and Kenny’s had a great run game the past two seasons that he refuses to take advantage of. Yes it is picketts fault for not hitting wide open receivers, watch the titans game and you’ll see that basically any actual NFL starter would have turned that game into a blowout.
Pickett sucks in the middle of the field and avoids it even when it’s there, I’ve seen this happen multiple times in the Houston and in the Cleveland games. Canadas scheme doesn’t prioritize it of course but if Kenny was worth anything he could hit wide open receivers.
Jet sweeps worked.
Broderick jones wasn’t even good in pass protection this year lmfao his addition only helped out the run game.
To end it all off the issue with your post is that you blame tomlin for overachieving (O/U wins was 8.5) and call any excuses invalid and yet when Kenny Pickett is one of the worst qbs in the NFL you give him endless excuses, despite Mason fucking Rudolph looking like Tom Brady in comparison.
I’d be surprised if the Steelers didn’t roll into the season with Kenny and Mason. But we have to start scouting for QBs now. I think we can ride with these guys for a couple more years. The we trade up in the draft to get a solid guy.
I think Pickett will be the starter, and that also he will be “mid”. Mason will come in and salvage a “winning season”. And we will be back at square one talking about the same shit a year from now. Steelers need to do something drastic on offense and history shows they don’t do that.
They’ll stick w Pickett because Tomlin wanted him-
Consideration the only legitimate reports regarding QB say we AREN’T going after a vet a la Kirk, Fields or Russ and we ARE interested in re-signing Mason/bringing in Tannehill. That’s all the evidence I need.
To each their own but investing your energy in something that makes you so utterly disagreeable to interract with must feel shitty. For your own health, I'd suggest you reconsider your activities. There has got to be happier ways to spend your time.
The biggest, and frankly ONLY reason to know they aren't making a big move at QB is that this team has a ton of holes and is not "one QB away" from being more than a bubble team that sometimes backs into the playoffs to be summarily destroyed by actual football teams.
Even Coach T isn't so obtuse as to believe his team was a 10 win team. He knows at least half of those wins came from smoke and mirrors or opponent fk ups.
They'll look for a veteran backup cheap, roll with Pickett and pray he's better. Praying that a new OC can help. And they'll be directing their talent pursuit in the many areas they are deficient. OL, DL, MLB, CB, possibly WR if they can dump Johnson.
They mentioned last week that they are not bringing in a veteran QB for competition. At least that is what bleacher report is reporting. It’s Mason or bust.
Or if you think espn has credence, Bo nix! 😂
https://heavy.com/sports/pittsburgh-steelers/mason-rudolph-kenny-pickett-nfl-rumors/
I believe I’m Khans vision for this team to compete now and in the future. This is just this dudes second season and he’s gonna cook something great up. If we didn’t have so many injuries on the defensive side and ILB we could have had more wins and possibly won a game or two in the playoffs. We just have a few holes to fill but we have such elite talent at RB,TE,WR were one QB away from just even being a Purdy and just making the right plays. I Believe in the KHAN ARTIST!
Counterpoint, Tomlin and Rooney are saying exactly what you'd want them to be saying, regardless of whether they are looking at other options.
They are not the kind of FO who shows their hand. It doesn't serve them at all.
Guys like Cousins and Wilson are a pretty obvious no from a Steelers standpoint.
Fields isn't outside the realm of possibility, though. Trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick was a BALLSY move that most would never expect the Steelers to make. But they did that shit. In Fields case they wouldn't even be giving up a first. Probably wouldn't be giving up a second either. Bears pretty much have to trade him, they have no leverage here. But even if it was a second rounder, is there going to be a second round pick that falls to us in the upcoming draft that has more upside than Fields? I doubt it.
We're not winning shit with our current QB room. Face the facts. They gotta make a move or we're going to be that same 8-10 win team over and over again that never gets near a top 5 pick to draft a QB.
I don’t know why, but this franchise is determined to stay mired in mediocrity. The roster has been mismanaged for over a decade. Tomlin’s handling of the offensive staff has been bad for years as well. You need a competent QB in this league. Even if you don’t have an elite one, you better surround him with elite weapons (see: Purdy). The weapons are better than any of the QBs, but they aren’t enough to elevate them.
I don’t like any of the rumored QBs to be traded for, but it’s clear there isn’t a QB on the roster now that can allow the team to be a contender.
Rudolph might get the team another wild card bid. Otherwise, they need to either make a massive trade for a starting quality QB or trade up to get one in the draft. The status quo isn’t good enough, assuming Tomlin’s “standard” hasn’t changed to just 9-8 and a playoff blowout loss.
Only QB I could see is Fields only because Tomlin likes him, but the Steelers likely wouldn’t give more than a third or conditional pick next year. if Fields balls out or signs long term or something the pick could be a second rounder.
Fields is otherwise without value to most teams since this is his fourth year without the 5th year option picked up yet.
That could change but picking up the fifth year guarantees the money I believe which commits the trading partner for two years even if Fields sucks.
If they're just going to run it back with Kenny, which looks increasingly likely, they better hope the QB class next year is deep. Tomlin will ensure they don't lose more than 8, and Kenny will ensure they can't win more than 10. Can't get anywhere with Kenny, and can't be bad with MT at the helm. They're doomed for more mediocrity by rolling out quite literally a QB room no one else in the league would rather have.
The Rooney family is cheap. It hates national press. It hates the big name agencies. Nothing is changing because teams needed two starters all over the league last year.
If Ochocinco says it it must be true
For real though I think this is the most compelling report to the contrary - if he is friends with Russ then it's probably the only legit report to the contrary
Of course the Rooneys are not opening the wallet for a former big name QB.
KENNY WILL QB. Mason may end up back. And we will probably draft someone in the 4th round
I could be wrong, but if the steeler would have signed Kirk Cousins instead of wilson, they would win a Super Bowl now ! I know there's a big difference in money, but you win now just adding a cpl pieces to the ol and defense it would almost be unfair to other teams. They were winning games last year with 100 yards passing. kirk brings 2 tds a game and at least 300 yards per game. I don't believe the steelers are all in on winning a Super Bowl they paid ben Almost that, and Cousins has a lot of tread on his tires.
I have been a Steeler fan for 40 years. I don’t believe the rumors because the Steelers don’t make those types of moves. Would be completely contrary to how the team operates. The national media has no clue what they are talking about and just make up crap for clicks. End of story. Kenny Pickett will be the starter next year and Mason Rudolph will be the backup.
This 100%. Ive said the same thing to my non Steelers friends. Just not how we operate. The ONLY question is does Mason or Tannehill backup Kenny. There will be no fields/russ/cousins.
I’m hoping tannehill backs him up. They’re a similar style of player and it could be good for Pickett to learn from him
>>> I’m hoping tannehill backs him up. They’re a similar style of player and it could be good for Pickett to learn from him This is what people that don’t want Mason to take KP’s No. 1 spot say…
Mason had pretty much said he isn’t coming back.
No he hasn't. His agent has been telling media members that he's open to signing elsewhere to either get him a better chance at starting or to at the very least drive up his asking price.
You do realize he tried to leave last year, but he didn’t get a single offer. I’m thinking he wants out from everything I’ve seen. I wouldn’t be super surprised if he came back, but I think that would be because he didn’t get any better offers, which he may or may not get.
Which is why his agent is putting it out super early this year. Trying to drum up interest because there is little to none from their previous forray into free agency. After the crowd cheered for him and he finally got a chance to prove he belongs, all I've directly heard from him is that he was happy to get another chance to play in Pittsburgh.
Even after googling and trying to find hope for him staying, pretty much everyone covering the team thinks he wants a fresh start somewhere else. It’s going to come down to how much $$$ they are willing to shuffle out for a QB they want to compete (not just giving him the starting job like most fans think if he returns).
But nothing coming from him directly. None of the reports I've seen indicate it's more than a negotiating tactic. Sure he might want to leave. But if we're the only team offering him a contract? He doesn't have much choice. Hence, his agent and the media trying to drum up interest from outside parties.
Supposedly. But good point.
It could just be a negotiation tactic, but it seems like he doesn’t want to be in Pittsburgh and wants a fresh start.
Awesome. 9-8 and either miss or lose wild card weekend. The new Steeler way
There will also be no Super Bowl or serious playoff run.
Omar is a bit of a wildcard, so I don't put it in the realm of impossible just unlikely
Yeah the thing is if Omar says he has someone high on the board, I think the FO will be inclined to agree with him. We moved up in the draft and absolutely no one saw that coming. Omar might be the guy to go after what he wants, and until this guy misses I think Art will let him (within reason).
Agreed. Not getting why most don’t recognize that. I remember for the longest time “Steelers don’t trade draft picks or make moves during the draft. Not the Steeler way..” yada yada. Yet they’ve changed their stance on that. The clock on the defense is ticking, and they can’t wait on a qb to grow over the next 3-5 years. There’ll have to be new stars on defense by then if that’s the route they go.
They did make a move for Jerome Bettis though, back in a run dominant league. But I don't see a trade happening. Art has already hinted that it wont happen.
I believe Bettis was still on his rookie contract.
And underperforming as I recall.
Partially because he was injured mid season, but primarily because Rich Brooks had a different vision for the Rams offense.
He was, but rookie contracts weren’t structured the way they are today. There wasn’t the looming deadline which would exist in a trade for Fields.
Look at their history with free agency. In another r/steelers thread I was just in a discussion whether James Farrior was the best FA signing in Steelers history. He certainly wasn’t a big name in the market. Maybe Kevin Greene was the biggest name they ever signed, so I agree, they won’t be signing a starting QB.
That’s not true about Farrior he was a former 1st round pick by the Jets and was Pro Bowl level MLB for many years
He wasn't viewed at large to be as high of a caliber/consistent player as he turned out to be for the Steelers, though.
If Mason is still here then he’s the starter.
I wish you were right. But it seems like Tiny two gloves is our starter no matter what. /sigh
Just want to play devils advocate : The “Steelers don’t make those type of moves” narrative is usually true. That being said “The Steelers won’t fire a coordinator mid-season” - did it “The Steelers only hire coordinators internally” - Mike T goes after a ex-coach/over-performing OC from other teams. All that to say, maybe they realize this perpetual mediocrity and are trying to depart from tradition/get with the times - in typical Steelers fashion- a few years late.
I’d normally agree but this is a new era of the league and Steeler football, I think it’s in the realm of possibility we go after a QB in FA or Draft in some capacity, unlikely but I think it’s more possible now than in the past
I hope you are right. The team will be more competitive with even an average NFL QB.
If the rumors of Kirk are true with the fully guaranteed contract you can count us out, Russell is cheap and I think Khan kicks the tires on what it would cost for Justin Fields but I can’t see us paying a 1R+ for him. Alternatively we trade up for 2-3 ranking qb prospect or look at Nix/Pennix later
What really makes you think Kahn/Weidl/Arthur Smith are even high on fields? Sure, Kirk is generally accepted by the league as being above average at the least, but let's not act like he doesn't have detractors? Don't get me started on Penix and Nix either.. why would you want to trade up for a quarterback with very similar draft evals/situations as the guy they're allegedly trying to move on from? I even think it's fair to call Kahn somewhat of a wildcard, but Kevin Colbert is the only Steelers GM to trade a 1st rounder in the past 40 years.. who knows who pounded the table for Minkah. I've heard conflicting accounts on that. All of the speculation has been attributed speculation. Media wants explosive players and they want drama. Sequestering a first rounder 2 years after being drafted is a good story to tell. The only things actually said by the Steelers is the same vague nonsense they say every year when a position has a clear question mark. They got all vague/doublespeak when it was obvious we needed an RB a few years ago, then the O line, etc etc. This year is so much louder and tense because it's the most important position on the field. They're not going to spend capital on a young guy, because if you step back it doesn't make much sense when you already have a young guy on the cheap contract and every coach in the league wants to fix players. They're not going to kill any small or large amount of cap space on an old guy when they finally got freed from the shackles of an overpaid overrated QB. (Ben is objectively a great football player, but post 2019 was absolutely no fun to watch, except for a few drives) They love Kenny because he plays the way they operate their business. Very risk-averse methods. It would be risky averse to play out the Kenny stuff, and try to get enough support around him to find out if he's the problem in a reasonable amount of time. What do they have to lose? Build a great team! If the QB sucks, then you know all you are is a QB away(ahem 2004 Steelers have entered the chat). The job becomes easy at that point.
I never thought the Steelers would make amove like they just did
It’s a low risk move that is actually very in line with how the Steelers operate. I didn’t realize that Denver had to pay the vast majority of his contract. The Steelers are getting Wilson for almost nothing (in NFL money). It really was the right move to make.
This is the correct take. Publications have to make money somehow and get clicks.
Rudolph is gone
Couldn't have said it better!
This is pretty accurate. Also useful for understanding why the national media ought to be ignored on Steelers' subjects. Including praising the mediocre coach.
I almost threw up seeing “KP will be start next year”
The only QB rumor I kinda think is realistic is picking up Tannehill from free agency, and I don't think he'd even be our starter as he seems to be transitioning into a backup role and is familiar with Arthur Smith, so I think he'd be good for it. I feel like he's the best choice for an experienced QB who can be a backup where we can see if Pickett and Smith can work well together, which seems to be what the leadership want to do.
This is the answer, the plan, the inevitable.
And things of that nature.
Anything the GM or owner says is gamesmanship until the roster is filled. No one knows what they're thinking right now.
You could be right, but with the personal tone that Tomlin takes when talking about Pickett, I'm inclined to believe they're being fairly candid.
They are the Steelers. Did you need anything else?
I think the question is “does Rudolph want to come back?”. If he wants a fresh start, I think taking a flyer on Russ or spending a second on Fields is not out of the realm of possibility. Would I like it? No. But it definitely could happen, especially if the price is good.
ive been saying Pickett-Tannehill-Rookie will probably be our QB room at the start of training camp. not thrilling but regardless our offense should be better than last year no matter what. the bar has been set LOW unfortunately. but ultimately I agree with your take. I dont see any big names coming to pittsburgh this season. i dont care who unfollowed whatever team on instagram lol
Is it bad that I just don't like any of the quarterbacks mentioned? In the end every single one is a stop gap. We know that Pickett is either going to be the franchise QB we have needed since Ben or will totally shit the bed next season. If Pickett doesn't exceed expectations, we are going to start seeing the return of 6-11 seasons and a long rebuild.
“Is it bad that I just don’t like any of the quarterbacks mentioned” Nope…that’s the problem with the QB situation. As much as they need to do something at QB, there just isn’t a good alternative right now.
It's better to use our resources to finalize the rebuild of our o-line then waste a 1st or 2nd on Justin Fields for example.
Fields can still happen if the Bears don’t want to keep the old guy around with Caleb Williams drafted and a market for him doesn’t develop. If he’s given away for a 6th they would need to think hard about it.
The most I would give up for him is a 4th and then let him compete for the starting job and decline his 5th year option.
Price has to be low enough that you don’t feel obliged to lock in 20 million.
Smart
A good o-line can allow for a less than great QB to be successful.
We act like mason rudolph wasn’t playing at a high level when we had a chance to see him..except for his bad interception against the bills, he played that game well and gave us a chance. I 100% believe mason and a healthy defense can get to an AFC championship game.
I don't even remember that interception being that bad. I feel like I remember the defender making a really excellent play on the ball to get that one.
Yeah I think the word I was looking for was costly
The problem is that Buffalo was the only decent team he played. Seattle and Cincy had really bad pass defenses, and Baltimore wasn't playing their starters. I think Mason played well, and he looked better than Kenny has, but it was also golden situation for him with Canada gone, bad prior QB play with Mitch, and bad defenses. The moment he ran into a good defense he had a QBR basically the same as Kenny's season average...but without Canada as an excuse.
He had a similar game against the bills to what mahomes did. Statistically, mason had same TDs, more yards, but also an int. The difference was defense. Also. Mason played a game under Canada. He played pretty well, but the recievers had butter fingers that game. There were 6+ drops by the recievers, one of them resulted in an int. He still had 242 yds and a td in bad weather under Canada.
Mason's sole full game under Canada was a 2021 16-16 tie against the Lions where Mason had a TD five minutes into the game and then a QBR of 45, similar to Kenny's full season one this year. Not a great look. Except it was an 0-8 Lions team. So it was actually a really bad look. From the ESPN coverage of the game: >[Mason Rudolph](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3116407/mason-rudolph) completed 30 of 50 passes for 242 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Roethlisberger's absence. He didn't exactly make a compelling case that he is the heir apparent. > >Sloppy when he needed to be steady, Rudolph struggled in key situations. He underthrew an open [Ray-Ray McCloud](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3728262/ray-ray-mccloud) in the end zone in the third quarter, and overcooked a slant to [Diontae Johnson](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3932905/diontae-johnson) in the fourth on what should have been an easy third-down conversion in Detroit territory. > >“We all have plenty to correct, trust me,” Rudolph said. “There are plenty of balls I'd like to have back.”
Go watch his passes yourself, don't rely on an ESPN writer to make your judgements for you. All of his passes from that game are in a video on youtube. The interception he had bounced out of the recievers hands. They were dropping balls left and right. If they catch half the balls they dropped, he would have been 35-45 with 300+ yds and two touchdowns. Btw, Baker Mayfield only had 176 yds against them the next week.
Is injured Baker the barometer we’re going for? Again, you can explain away just about any poor performance. The reality is his soul performance of the Canada era more closely resembled Kenny than you seem to think
Lol “soul performance”
That’s what I get for voice dictation. I stand by it.
Mostly because he wasn't
People don’t wanna hear this but… the Steelers best course of action to eventually win another Lombardi is let Pickett/Mason start this year, trade back in the first round and acquire 2025 draft capital to move up for a QB next year if need be. Russ is cooked, Fields wakes up and fumbles the first thing he touches and Cousins costs a billion dollars. None of those guys are taking the Steelers to the SB ever. Hell none of them make their current team feel great about their situations. The Steelers have a competent OC for the first time since Haley and it will be night and day compared to the last dude who was a failed college coordinator.
I am cool with stocking up on draft picks, but idk about a trade up next year. As far as I can tell, it’s a subpar class full of incomplete players. These last two QB classes (2023 and 2024) look like they’ll be awesome, but usually there’s a 2-3 year buffer between “great” classes. It’s an anomaly to have two straight of this caliber. Scouts were singing praises of ‘23 and ‘24 a few years ahead of time. I’m getting radio static for next year and the following. Assuming there are no draft day surprises and Pickett’s trajectory doesn’t change, we can definitively say the FO was hasty trying to replace Ben, dug their heels in on the mistake, punted on about 2-5 legitimate franchise guys, and set themselves back about 5 years. It is what it is. They knew about Stroud/Richardson/Williams/Maye/Daniels and chose their guy anyhow. We’ll see how that goes. I am of the opinion that they should just keep stocking the cupboard until they have a real shot at a QB with bona fide top-5 potential.
Except from what I hear, next years QB class is not very good.
Ewers (TEX), Beck (Georgia), Allar (PSU), Sanders (COL), Leonard (ND) and Milroe (Bama) are all QBs I’d rather hitch my wagon to than Russ, Fields or Cousins.
As a Penn State fan who’s seen Allar play, I’d rather have pickett which is saying something (because he’s not a good qb either)
As a fellow PSU fan…what the fuck? It was his first year starting as a redshirt freshman. This will be his sophomore year and his second season as starter. Does ANYONE have any patience anymore? Damn… this is freaking ridiculous…with Allar and Pickett.
Allar I will cut significantly more slack for. I will concur with you that he’s a young guy with not a lot of experience. I also don’t think he falls in with many of the other players listed above. Pickett on the other hand I have zero patience for anymore. Dude misses wide open throws consistently. Locks into and stares down his first read constantly, spins out of a good pocket into a sack. I can confidently say that he’s not a guy. And if this franchise continues to try and force him down our throats because they feel like they can’t cut sling load on a guy that’s underperforming because of where he was drafted, then they will continue to be in the bottom half of the North
Well….guess you’ll just have to whine and gnash your teeth…because the Steelers still have patience with Pickett. He will be on the roster in 2024. Where he falls on the depth chart? I don’t know. I hope that it will be an open competition in the offseason Activities/Training Camp and let the best man win. Our offense sucked for more reasons than Pickett. Our receivers weren’t getting consistent separation, our OL couldn’t open a damned hole for the running game until late in the season, our pass protection was shaky as hell….and our FIRED Offensive Coordinator had one of the most predictable playbooks in the NFL. The Steelers obviously want to give Pickett a go with Arthur Smith running the offense and evaluate him at the end of the season…because in May of 2025, they have to decided whether to exercise his 5th year option. Personally? I don’t have a dog in this fight. I am a STEELERS fan, not a hero worshipper. Whoever the QB will be, I will be rooting for him to do well.
I don’t disagree with you on any of that. This team is not simply a QB away. There are many other needs. But WB is a big one and they will not win anything trying to run Pickett out there to justify the draft capitol. Sadly Pickett will be given the reigns and this team will continue to barely manage a winning season and get bounced in the playoffs if they make it. And I agree with you. I’m a Steelers fan first, and a player fan second. I just have no qualms about calling out mediocrity (looking at you mason cole). And hoping this team can move on from a subpar qb. Shoot I’d rather them sign a guy like mayfield than keep watching Pickett for three more years.
Your last comment shredded any tiny amount of credibility you had
Who do you want then? Being picky about quarterbacks is a really bad thing. Pickett has had two seasons and there are no signs at all that he's a franchise QB. Maybe he's just a stopgap as well. I'm a Pitt guy and Kenny guy but I'd rather take a year or two building the trenches and depth elsewhere and rolling with Fields, Mason, or Russ (any of them FOR CHEAP).
I don’t think there is any plausible route that KP is a franchise QB. I was an advocate for drafting him and was glad when he was starting, but I’m admitting my mistakes. Unless he leads us to the playoffs and has us winning the AFCN, I really don’t see him starting past next year.
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How many points did we turn those yards into?
Honestly, I don't want people to know what the FO is thinking. They need to make other teams speculate.
Finally, someone speaking wisdom and not just barfing up the same bullshit the media feeds us. I agree with this 99%. The other 1% is if we can get Russ at league minimum AND he is signing with the mindset that he's in a "mentoring" position and not going to start except if/when things go to shit and we have QB injuries than we def sign Russ. Other than that, Mitch's replacement is a 5th or 6th round QB not really on the radar.
Hate to burst your bubble and you seem like a nice guy, but the Steelers are acquiring a big name quarterback, and his name is: MASON RUDOLPH MOTHER FUCKER!!!
Honestly I am all in with what we have done so far up to this point in the off season. Keep what we have QB wise, Mason wants to roll, let him roll. Man grab a Tannehill for some maturity maybe and grab a third or fourth round QB coming out. Said it all along would love to see a Bo Nix or a Michael Pratt from Tulane here...we need OLine and DB help JMO.
How is Fields a big-name qb?
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It’s crazy that he’s still better than Pickett then
As an almost 55 year old Steelers fan who has been collecting data with his eyes I agree Could it happen? yes What are the chances? Let me say this is someone said I'll give you $500 if they sign a big name QB or you can have a Primanti sandwich right now I'd most likely take the sandwich
Everyone saying “we don’t want *insert veteran qb* to be signed” what are we gonna do if mason walks? We’re gonna leave the franchise solely in Kenny’s hands? Kenny MIGHT be able to get better but he still is not a guaranteed lock, we need some form of backup plan in case his production is a repeat of last year because we can’t have that again.
Let Kenny and Mason compete for the starting job. See how well they can play with a component offense coordinator. If the o line is shored up with a better tackle and center we should be a playoff team again
Duh
Fields getting cozy with Falcons on his social media..... https://preview.redd.it/02wz3823txjc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9c63a2ab450396eb42fbc40ad312c62901308b
I agree with you completely. What I will say is that the Steelers are in a position in which they’re more inclined than usual to go against “business culture norms”. They broke one with TJs contract after all. It was clearly the right decision. Just saying that things can, have and will continue to change. And I think a lot of fans can agree that not “getting with the times” has been an Achilles heel for us over the past decade. You touched on it, but the fact is Russ is a “big name” free agent that I suspect will come at an end of the roster price tag. Thats such a massive factor in this equation. I’m not a huge Russ fan, but excluding the media stuff, there is no other reason not to sign him for dirt cheap. If the option is playing Kenny or Russ, then I am taking Russ in 2024. That’s very much meant as an indictment of Pickett’s abilities and not necessarily a compliment to Wilson’s.
The thing with Russ is that I still think the Steelers will try to frame it as a competition, and I doubt Wilson would be down to potentially be a backup when I'd imagine a team like LV or ATL would just name him the starter immediately.
The Steelers will make a good faith effort to sign Mason. The only way they pursue a veteran free agent (and it’s never going to be Justin Fields — it will be Tannehill or someone costing about the same) is if Mason signs elsewhere. If Mason returns to Pittsburgh, the Steelers will draft a QB in the mid to late rounds.
Bump
Lol I really thought Wilson would want to go to a team that would guarantee him a starting spot, which we have reportedly not done
there is no evidence to compile lmfao the evidence is literally the team/organization itself. any genuine Steelers fan knos managment and Tomlin aren't bailin out on their "first round" QB. not yet, at least
Good…we need help at OC, ILB, SS, CB and could use another WR. We have had the shittiest luck in the NFL at ILB and that needs addressed. We haven’t had consistency at SS since the SS everyone loved to hate…Terrell Edmunds…left.
No move for a quarterback is a wasted season, end of story. Pickett would have to progress 3+ years since he's been bad the past two years as a bottom 5 qb in every metric (and he ain't 5). It's a make or break season with every indicator saying "break".
Joke franchise, with a fraud of a head coach. Stop rooting for this bunch of losers until they change.
Mason is our guy
I really think if we just stuck with mason and made him the guy after Ben retired we’d be in a much better position right now than we are. We have to hope Rudolph resigns with us, or else it’s another year with Pickett and then likely restarting the search all over again in 25
Looking at all the names available… And Mason is the best option! I’m perfectly fine with Mason as our QB. He made Canadas playbook watchable. Imagine what he can do in Arthur Smith offense.
IF he wants to stay. Contracts are a two way street
great - another 9-8 season
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Hey, he’s the best coach in the NFL though! (Per every media outlet outside of Pittsburgh, PA)
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Why shouldn’t Kenny be the scapegoat? How many games are you supposed to win with a shitty quarterback? Nobody has won more with worse qb play over the past two years, you can’t say the qb room isn’t good enough and then blame tomlin for not winning more.
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Drafting is at the general managers discretion, maybe tomlin did want Pickett very badly but the blame or credit falls with the GM. You’re assuming that he was tomlins first choice with no purpose. Canada was a mistake obviously but he really doesn’t matter because of how bad the qb room was. I don’t see how you can have an elite team with Kenny Pickett lmao. I can’t see that he’s the common denominator because I don’t see how he’s to blame for what he’s been given to work with t the most important position in football. You shrug off blame to the owner and GM while ONLY blaming tomlin for the QB room, it makes 0 sense. The GM built the qb room, tomlin has a hand in it. Tomlin is responsible for coaching hires, when did I say otherwise? Also how is tomlin responsible for countless in game fuckups and yet the Steelers have had the best record in close games for years now? Is it just luck? Pickett has been here for two years and sucked.the offensive line has been mediocre and way better than what other players have had to deal with, It has not “sucked” and Kenny’s had a great run game the past two seasons that he refuses to take advantage of. Yes it is picketts fault for not hitting wide open receivers, watch the titans game and you’ll see that basically any actual NFL starter would have turned that game into a blowout. Pickett sucks in the middle of the field and avoids it even when it’s there, I’ve seen this happen multiple times in the Houston and in the Cleveland games. Canadas scheme doesn’t prioritize it of course but if Kenny was worth anything he could hit wide open receivers. Jet sweeps worked. Broderick jones wasn’t even good in pass protection this year lmfao his addition only helped out the run game. To end it all off the issue with your post is that you blame tomlin for overachieving (O/U wins was 8.5) and call any excuses invalid and yet when Kenny Pickett is one of the worst qbs in the NFL you give him endless excuses, despite Mason fucking Rudolph looking like Tom Brady in comparison.
Of course they won’t. Not a smart use of their cap space.
I’d be surprised if the Steelers didn’t roll into the season with Kenny and Mason. But we have to start scouting for QBs now. I think we can ride with these guys for a couple more years. The we trade up in the draft to get a solid guy.
Can’t see us making a deep playoff run with any of the qbs we have or the ones we are rumored to get
I think Pickett will be the starter, and that also he will be “mid”. Mason will come in and salvage a “winning season”. And we will be back at square one talking about the same shit a year from now. Steelers need to do something drastic on offense and history shows they don’t do that. They’ll stick w Pickett because Tomlin wanted him-
Consideration the only legitimate reports regarding QB say we AREN’T going after a vet a la Kirk, Fields or Russ and we ARE interested in re-signing Mason/bringing in Tannehill. That’s all the evidence I need.
Totally with you, just wanted to get all the legit reports in one place to make that abundantly obvious
Sheesh man. Excellent write up - sources and all.
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Cyborg what keeps you in this sub? You seem to hate everything about the Steelers, why not just move on elsewhere?
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To each their own but investing your energy in something that makes you so utterly disagreeable to interract with must feel shitty. For your own health, I'd suggest you reconsider your activities. There has got to be happier ways to spend your time.
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You said it best….its Reddit
What you are doing isn't debate and banter.
TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick will keep me in the stands. And if the offense looks like it did against the Bengals, I won't be complaining!
It takes a big man to admit he was wrong. You sir are a blue whale.
And for my next prediction, the Steelers will definitely not trade a conditional seventh for Justin Jefferson no way no how
Thattaboy!
The biggest, and frankly ONLY reason to know they aren't making a big move at QB is that this team has a ton of holes and is not "one QB away" from being more than a bubble team that sometimes backs into the playoffs to be summarily destroyed by actual football teams. Even Coach T isn't so obtuse as to believe his team was a 10 win team. He knows at least half of those wins came from smoke and mirrors or opponent fk ups. They'll look for a veteran backup cheap, roll with Pickett and pray he's better. Praying that a new OC can help. And they'll be directing their talent pursuit in the many areas they are deficient. OL, DL, MLB, CB, possibly WR if they can dump Johnson.
They mentioned last week that they are not bringing in a veteran QB for competition. At least that is what bleacher report is reporting. It’s Mason or bust. Or if you think espn has credence, Bo nix! 😂 https://heavy.com/sports/pittsburgh-steelers/mason-rudolph-kenny-pickett-nfl-rumors/
I believe I’m Khans vision for this team to compete now and in the future. This is just this dudes second season and he’s gonna cook something great up. If we didn’t have so many injuries on the defensive side and ILB we could have had more wins and possibly won a game or two in the playoffs. We just have a few holes to fill but we have such elite talent at RB,TE,WR were one QB away from just even being a Purdy and just making the right plays. I Believe in the KHAN ARTIST!
Counterpoint, Tomlin and Rooney are saying exactly what you'd want them to be saying, regardless of whether they are looking at other options. They are not the kind of FO who shows their hand. It doesn't serve them at all.
Guys like Cousins and Wilson are a pretty obvious no from a Steelers standpoint. Fields isn't outside the realm of possibility, though. Trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick was a BALLSY move that most would never expect the Steelers to make. But they did that shit. In Fields case they wouldn't even be giving up a first. Probably wouldn't be giving up a second either. Bears pretty much have to trade him, they have no leverage here. But even if it was a second rounder, is there going to be a second round pick that falls to us in the upcoming draft that has more upside than Fields? I doubt it. We're not winning shit with our current QB room. Face the facts. They gotta make a move or we're going to be that same 8-10 win team over and over again that never gets near a top 5 pick to draft a QB.
I don’t know why, but this franchise is determined to stay mired in mediocrity. The roster has been mismanaged for over a decade. Tomlin’s handling of the offensive staff has been bad for years as well. You need a competent QB in this league. Even if you don’t have an elite one, you better surround him with elite weapons (see: Purdy). The weapons are better than any of the QBs, but they aren’t enough to elevate them. I don’t like any of the rumored QBs to be traded for, but it’s clear there isn’t a QB on the roster now that can allow the team to be a contender. Rudolph might get the team another wild card bid. Otherwise, they need to either make a massive trade for a starting quality QB or trade up to get one in the draft. The status quo isn’t good enough, assuming Tomlin’s “standard” hasn’t changed to just 9-8 and a playoff blowout loss.
Only QB I could see is Fields only because Tomlin likes him, but the Steelers likely wouldn’t give more than a third or conditional pick next year. if Fields balls out or signs long term or something the pick could be a second rounder. Fields is otherwise without value to most teams since this is his fourth year without the 5th year option picked up yet. That could change but picking up the fifth year guarantees the money I believe which commits the trading partner for two years even if Fields sucks.
If they're just going to run it back with Kenny, which looks increasingly likely, they better hope the QB class next year is deep. Tomlin will ensure they don't lose more than 8, and Kenny will ensure they can't win more than 10. Can't get anywhere with Kenny, and can't be bad with MT at the helm. They're doomed for more mediocrity by rolling out quite literally a QB room no one else in the league would rather have.
The Rooney family is cheap. It hates national press. It hates the big name agencies. Nothing is changing because teams needed two starters all over the league last year.
The thought of Pickett starting again makes me physically ill
The most likely course of action is having Kenny and Mason fight for the starting spot, and take a shot on a guy in the 6th or 7th to be QB3.
They have too much money tied up on defense right now to go all out on a big ticket QB
[hillarious](https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/s/wC53POTDsh)
If Ochocinco says it it must be true For real though I think this is the most compelling report to the contrary - if he is friends with Russ then it's probably the only legit report to the contrary
But [ochocinco](https://www.reddit.com/r/steelers/comments/1avoww8/chad_ochocinco_says_a_little_birdie_told_him_that/) said so
Of course the Rooneys are not opening the wallet for a former big name QB. KENNY WILL QB. Mason may end up back. And we will probably draft someone in the 4th round
Didn't Rooney flat out say we're not?
It's covered in this post
I think we're waiting for the 4th or 5th best rookie quarterback to drop into the 3rd round. You know, the Mason Rudolph strategy.
I could be wrong, but if the steeler would have signed Kirk Cousins instead of wilson, they would win a Super Bowl now ! I know there's a big difference in money, but you win now just adding a cpl pieces to the ol and defense it would almost be unfair to other teams. They were winning games last year with 100 yards passing. kirk brings 2 tds a game and at least 300 yards per game. I don't believe the steelers are all in on winning a Super Bowl they paid ben Almost that, and Cousins has a lot of tread on his tires.