The Pittsburgh Steelers are armed with perimeter passing weapons. Standout wide receiver George Pickens will work across from wide receiver DK Metcalf, who the Steelers acquired from a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Along with tight end Pat Freiermuth working the middle and recently signed running back Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, Pittsburgh’s offense is already positioned to be a vastly improved unit.
The only problem? The team doesn’t have anyone to distribute the football. The Steelers have been stuck on a quarterback carousel ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired, but they attempted to find a solution last offseason by acquiring veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as one-year rentals. Neither of those panned out, and Pittsburgh entered the new league year without any quarterback under contract.
Early reports suggested that the Steelers were pursuing quarterback Sam Darnold, who entered free agency after a career-best season with the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold ultimately signed with the Seahawks, who will provide him with a familiar offensive system. Since then, reports have linked Pittsburgh to immunized quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Steelers’ signing QB Mason Rudolph won’t inspire much confidence
While the 41-year-old remains a free agent, Pittsburgh added a quarterback to their roster with an underwhelming move. The Steelers signed veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph to a two-year, $8 million contract with $4.5 million guaranteed, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday.
Rudolph, a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, spent the first four years of his career in Pittsburgh. He signed with the Tennessee Titans as a backup to Will Levis last offseason. The 29-year-old finished with a 1-4 record in his five starts while throwing nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
While those numbers aren’t going to inspire much confidence, Rudolph’s final year in Pittsburgh ended with some promise. Rudolph entered the 2023 season as the third-string quarterback behind starter Kenny Pickett and backup Mitch Trubisky. After Pickett suffered an injury and Trubisky struggled, the Steelers handed the reins to Rudolph for the final three games of the regular season.
Rudolph led the Steelers to three straight wins, which included their only two games with 30-plus points scored all season. In his three regular-season starts, Rudolph completed 53 of 71 attempts for 716 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, but Rudolph completed 22 of 39 attempts for 229 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
That performance will be hard to replicate and sustain, especially over the course of an entire season. Pittsburgh has lost five straight playoff games since 2017, and that streak will only continue if they can’t find a long-term solution.