4 Pittsburgh Steelers who won’t be back in 2024 as winless playoff streak grows

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished at or over .500 for the 17th straight season, all under head coach Mike Tomlin. They made the playoffs for the third time in the last four years after going 10-7 on the season but also lost for the third time in the last four years in the Wild Card Round.

The Steelers were outplayed from the jump in Buffalo and lost their fifth straight playoff game. Their last win was in the divisional round of the 2016 NFL Playoffs. Pittsburgh remained remarkably consistent in 2023 despite an incredibly flawed roster, but they also have not made a deep playoff run since that 2016 season.

The Steelers need to shake things up. With that in mind, it feels almost certain that these four players will not be back in 2024.

4) Mason Rudolph, QB

With Kenny Pickett injured and the Steelers in desperate need of some offense, they turned to Mason Rudolph to try and lead the team as their starting quarterback down the stretch. Rudolph wound up appearing in four games for Pittsburgh, winning all three games he started and looking good while doing it.

The 28-year-old completed 74.3 percent of his passes for 719 yards, throwing three touchdowns with no interceptions. We didn't see many super explosive plays with Rudolph under center, but he also limited the mistakes and was certainly accurate throwing the football.

Rudolph's dream season came crashing down in the playoffs as, while he didn't look horrible, he completed just 56 percent of his passes and threw an interception in Pittsburgh's loss.

Rudolph showed some things during his limited action, but has not shown enough during his NFL career to be counted on as Pittsburgh's unquestioned starter. Rudolph is going to want to find an opportunity where he can potentially start, and he'll have a better chance doing so elsewhere than in Pittsburgh.