NEWSLETTER
Despite running the treadmill of mediocrity since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly not interested in bringing in a veteran starting quarterback this offseason.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has more on what could be a wild situation to follow in league circles:
Publicly declaring your non-interest in acquiring a veteran quarterback sure is one way to try and create negotiating leverage through the media! Lying Season™️ is here and I am ready for it.
What is Lying Season™️? Lying Season™️ is the time of year when NFL coaches and executives use the press to create all sorts of tactics (smoke screens, misinformation, and in some cases, straight-up lying) to throw other teams around the league off their scent. It is a cat-and-mouse game often used to create leverage publicly while discussions happen privately behind closed doors. It is a fun kind of taffy pull that comes up this time of year and rolls through the NFL Draft. In other words, keep your head on a swivel. Things are going to get weird.
For the sake of this post, let’s take this report at face value. If this is true, then the Steelers will go into the 2024 NFL season with Mason Rudolph (a 2018 third-round pick who has seen the team pass him over for the likes of Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky), Kenny Pickett (who has thrown as many interceptions (13) as he has touchdowns (13) in his two years as a starter), or a possible April draft pick quarterbacking the squad when things kick off in September. That is a pretty wild way to frame the situation, but that is the reality this Pittsburgh franchise would be staring in the face.
On the one hand, Mason Rudolph versus Kenny Pickett versus a draft pick-to-be-named-later would be quite the show at a Steelers camp. But on the other hand, this doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that an organization like Pittsburgh would put its team through. Hence, I feel as if this report is just an elaborate way to create negotiation leverage by using the media. Unlike the NFL, I hand out points for creativity (even if they’re meaningless).
Either way, I’m fascinated by this development — especially because of the potential Bears ramifications. More on that in a moment.
Watch how the Steelers navigate the quarterback market this offseason
I doubt that it is a coincidence that a report dismissing the idea of Pittsburgh adding a veteran quarterback this offseason comes just days after ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared an anecdote about Head Coach Mike Tomlin “is a big fan” of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. In other words, the report of the Steelers not having an interest in a vet QB could be taken as a nod to the other side reminding them they can also negotiate through the league’s media influencers. At the very least, it makes for a fascinating game of cat-and-mouse.
Even still … the Justin Fields fit is undeniable. Fields could use a clean slate and a better organizational structure around him than what he experienced during his first three years in Chicago. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is a postseason contender in a tough division that could use a quarterback upgrade after starting Mason Rudolph in a playoff game. But because of the Steelers’ place in the standings, a draft upgrade doesn’t look like it is in the cards. Hence, Fields makes an ideal bridge QB for a team that isn’t bad enough to draft a premier quarterback option.
Of course, Fields isn’t the ONLY option Pittsburgh can go to this offseason. So if the Bears are digging their heels in too deep in this game of hardball, they could end up whiffing on an opportunity to get a decent trade return for Fields (should they choose to draft a quarterback with the first pick in April’s NFL Draft).
Kirk Cousins is a free agent with the highest floor of any available veteran quarterback. Plugging him into that offense would spice things up in the AFC North. Ryan Tannehill is done with the Tennessee Titans. A reunion with former Titans OC Arthur Smith (now in Pittsburgh) would make sense. Baker Mayfield joining the Steelers and facing the Browns twice a year would be fun. Gardner Minshew II in Pittsburgh as a bridge for a rookie isn’t an awful idea. And maybe Jameis Winston getting a second chance at starting quarterback is something the Steelers could kick around. What about Jimmy Garoppolo once his cut from the Las Vegas Raiders is officially official?
Full disclosure: I’m wary of putting any stock in betting odds an an indicator of what is going to happen on the player transaction market. After all, I’m old enough to remember when oddsmakers had Carson Wentz as the Bears’ next quarterback in 2021. But with that being said, I feel as if this is worth sharing for the sake of this conversation:
No team has fewer passing touchdowns since the start of the 2022 season than Pittsburgh. Even Bears quarterbacks have mustered up more passing scores than the Steelers. Sheesh. Ultimately, the Pittsburgh Steelers must do *SOMETHING* at the position this offseason. Perhaps that “something” involves dialing up the Bears for some trade conversations. Stay tuned.
