No matter who is playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin finds a way. From Ben Roethlisberger to Devlin "Duck" Hodges, Tomlin has his team playing above-.500 football year in and year out. Where things stand now, if Aaron Rodgers does not want to sign a deal with Pittsburgh, the Steelers' quarterback room would be headlined by veteran Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard.
Rudolph has spent the bulk of his NFL career as a backup in Pittsburgh. At one point in time, he was thought to be the heir apparent to Roethlisberger ... until he was not. He spent last season as a member of the Tennessee Titans, playing and starting a little bit on the worst team in the NFL. How good was Rudolph? Good enough for the Titans to have the No. 1 pick and end up taking Cam Ward.
So what I want to do now is to look at what the Steelers are to do if they follow Gerry Dulac's pursuit of signing a veteran quarterback. "I believe and have been told that if it's not Aaron Rodgers, that we'll find a veteran quarterback to back up Mason Rudolph," said Dulac. I know what I would have done if I was running the Steelers, but because I do not, Pittsburgh now finds itself is such a bad predicament.
Let's start with a former first-round pick who has plenty of starting experience, both good and bad.
3. Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz is the one free agent quarterback still out there that has been tied to the Steelers at least for the last little bit. Are you sure you want to do this? The guy had 12 great games eight years ago before hurting himself and the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles went on a Super Bowl run with Nick Foles. Wentz spent last year with the Kansas City Chiefs as Patrick Mahomes' backup, but why risk it?
It is because on the high-end, Wentz just might be able to recapture that 2017 glory of his playing in Arthur Smith's run-heavy offensive attack for Mike Tomlin. I would pass on this option every day and twice on Sunday, as Wentz might be the inherently reckless starting-level quarterback I have ever covered in the NFL. Still, I feel his ceiling is higher than than of Mason Rudolph's but the floor is worse.
Wentz may end up being the option the Steelers explore, but some options are best left untouched.
2. Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley
One potential option that I think the Steelers should at least consider exploring is that of a former rival quarterback. Tyler Huntley is still somehow unsigned this late into the offseason, but I think he might be perfect for the Steelers. He is best known for his time leading the Baltimore Ravens when Lamar Jackson was out, but spent a little bit of time last year playing for the Miami Dolphins as well.
The reason why I like Huntley more so than I do Wentz is not only his familiarity with the AFC North as as whole, but his dual-threat nature to be best utilized in Arthur Smith's scheme. For as much as Steelers fans want to believe Pittsburgh is going to become more passing-centric, we know what Smith is all about as a play-caller. Huntley is arguably an upgrade over Rudolph, but not by very much.
I do think he can keep the team afloat by starting a few games, but he is really only a stop-gap for me.
1. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins
This may not be the option Steelers fans still want to explore, but there is only one quarterback potentially out there that could be as good as Aaron Rodgers, but definitely better than Mason Rudolph. That would be Kirk Cousins, the high-priced backup of the Atlanta Falcons. Pittsburgh has been tied to him for weeks now. While they may not want to trade for him, what if he was released?
Cousins no-showed to Falcons' OTAs. Yes, they were voluntary, but all signs point to Michael Penix Jr. leading the show in 2025 with presumably Easton Stick backing him up in Atlanta. The Falcons could save some money by designating Cousins as a post-June 1 cut. It will not be pretty, but it is now abundantly clear that this divorce needs to be finalized before the start of the season for the Falcons.
Pittsburgh needs to become a little more desperate if they were to finally agree to trade for Cousins.