Last week, we heard that the Steelers were interested in re-signing quarterback Mason Rudolph and having him compete with 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett to be the club’s starting signal-caller. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that, even if the Steelers are unsuccessful in their pursuit of a Rudolph re-up, the club will not consider an external addition who is eyeing a QB1 role. Naturally, that would rule out a passer like Justin Fields, who is widely expected to be traded by the Bears.
On the same day that Dulac’s piece was published, however, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (subscription required) wrote that Pittsburgh will, in fact, acquire via trade or free agency a quarterback who can push Pickett for the starting job, and that such a quarterback would be “more than a stopgap.” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is reportedly a fan of Fields, and Fowler said that the rumblings connecting Fields to Pittsburgh are intensifying.
For a team like Pittsburgh that, as Fowler observes, could be just a quarterback away from championship contention, adding a clear upgrade over Pickett would make plenty of sense. But Mark Kaboly of The Athletic is aligned with Dulac, his fellow Steelers beat writer (subscription required). Kaboly confidently avers that the team is not going to go after Fields, and that while there may be a competition between Rudolph and Pickett if Rudolph is re-signed, Pickett will get one last chance to prove his worth before Pittsburgh looks outside the organization.
While these starkly contrasting reports between a national writer and two beats add to the uncertainty of the Steelers’ quarterback situation, it continues to look like there is no uncertainty concerning Fields’ future in Chicago. Though the Ohio State product recently said he would like to remain with the Bears — as relayed by Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times — Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune does not believe there is any internal debate as to whether the club should keep Fields in lieu of using its No. 1 overall draft choice (or a slightly lower choice in the event of a small trade down) on a top collegiate prospect. Rather, the real question is simply which passer in the 2024 draft class the Bears like the best.
Per Biggs, it is at least conceivable that the Bears retain Fields if they do not find a trade offer to their liking, but a trade is their preference. Previous reports have indicated that the team would finalize its QB plan one way or another by the start of the scouting combine (which opens tomorrow), and it sounds as if that plan is indeed to seek a suitor for Fields. Biggs says there is no disconnect on that point between GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren.
Expect plenty more Chicago-related rumors this week as team brass discusses its incumbent passer — and perhaps the No. 1 selection in the upcoming draft — with rival clubs.
So the espn writer used Bears person as source and beat writers used Steelers management as source. Another example of teams using writers desperate to seem like they know anything.
It’s all a red herring. I can’t see Tomlin entrusting so much into fields right now. If anything Pittsburgh need a seasoned vet like Cousins or Russ to spearhead a playoff campaign that actually means something
I don’t know. Cousins would cost a ton and wouldn’t be a long term solution. Wilson? He’s a crap shoot, also won’t be cheap, and at this point, probably not the guy to solidify the position for years. But with their ground game oriented offense, for a second round pick they could get Fields, who is head and shoulders above Pickett or Rudolf in mobility, has a great arm that with the right coaching, could be above average. It’s his fifth year and they can move on next year if he doesn’t work out. It makes too much sense.
It does make sense but what’s the scheme fit? Fields has only won a handful of games in 10 years. I think less than 10 total. Tomlin has had most of his win streaks and success with a dependable franchise veteran QB.
They’re a run oriented offense. That’s why it seems to me Fields would be a plus for them.
Bears have been a rush 1st offense last 2 years having more rushing attempts than pass attempts. Fields hasn’t been a plus for the bears in a rush first offense so why would it work elsewhere?
It’s worked for the Steelers. That’s how they got near playoff contention last year. And Fields is head and shoulders above Pickett/Rudolf in mobility.
Wilson was miles better than Pickett. 3000+ yards 26:8 and a 67% comp. Pickett would need double his career TDs to even tie Russ’s last year total… Russ > Pickett 150x
See? Tomlin would work better for a veteran QB I think. As ridiculous as it sounds if Tomlin entrusts a young QB again and they finish with a bad record his name will enter the hotseat in the media at least
Actually Russell is due $39m guaranteed if he’s on the team in Denver or not. So if he’s cut, rumors have it he will take league minimum but only if he is the 1-QB to start for next team. If that’s truly in play Steelers have to take a shot with a true game manager. Remember he already has his Denver home up for sale, so it looks like he’s getting cut.
Does he really? Writing is on the wall. Steelers or Atlanta is a good fit for Russ I feel like
It’s his 4th year actually
Wilson will not cost his new team any more than the veteran minimum. He’s not getting more than his Broncos salary since the offset language would negate his Broncos guarantee. It would put no extra money in his pocket and would detract from his new teams ability to put more talent around him. The only reason he’d want more than vet minimum would be ego.
“Wilson? He’s a crap shoot, also won’t be cheap,”
He could be cheap depending on what happens with his Broncos situation.
Honestly wonder what the bears are expecting to get for Fields? A second and maybe some swaps? Even that feels like an overpay to me.
The market will decide I guess. I can’t see a team giving up multiple firsts for him. Maybe he’s worth a veteran defensive player and a second round. If that
This guy brings back no more than a third rounder. I would rather take my chances on the QBs that fall out of the first round and are cheap than trade for Fields and have to give him big money after one year.
I’ve heard a second rounder or multiple seconds are on board. But what team looking for a quarterback will pay it ?
Sam Darnold is a comparable situation when he was dealt from NY to CAR
Thoughts were “oh he needs a change of scenery” CAR ponied up some picks
As a Steelers fan I hope they don’t trade for him. I’d rather go after Cousins or Wilson at this stage if contention is real without giving up draft assets. Could still use pick on either side of the front line. If they do move their first for Fields, it wouldn’t be terrible – chances are they wouldn’t get a QB at his level at that draft position, however getting a veteran at this stage at no cost and adding a cheap starter would be my preference.
National media keeps pushing these stories when it’s clear that the Steelers will make one last effort to save themselves from admitting that drafting Pickett was a mistake
Fields coming here would be such an admission. Better athlete. Better QB. And young
The better choice would be to have Pickett hold the clipboard for a couple years like Jordan Love in GB, to “learn” while a proven QB like Wilson or Cousins comes aboard to take the reins
But the Steelers are so stubborn, they won’t even do that. Tannehill or someone like him, a guy not perceived as an automatic replacement so as to not cause Pickett anxiety, is more likely
Hope I’m wrong, but it’s the new Steelers Way
The problem with Pickett holding the clipboard for a couple of years is…..what do you do about picking up his 5th year option? You still won’t know what you have
But they do know what they DON’T have, and that’s a franchise QB. What they don’t know is if they have a back-up QB or a game manager—either isn’t worth picking up the 5th year option.
The Steelers can skip the fifth year option and sign Pickett for fifth year option money slit over a fifth and sixth season. Will probably be the best offer on the table for Kenny.
Pickett may not last 6 years
Wasn’t what I was responding to. He wanted the Steelers to treat Pickett like Jordan Love and sit him for 2 years and then start him like the Packers did with Love. Pickett is a lousy quarterback. In most cases, the quarterback makes the coordinator and not the other way around. Pickett has shown nothing
Agree with you, Deerhunter. Not that I want them to do that but it would allow them to have some semblance of an explanation and save some embarrassment
They seem to enjoy being on this collision course with mediocrity again with him
And agree 100% with your OC comment
They are in a tough situation. You hate to give up on a 1st round pick but they have the defense and run game and don’t want mediocre quarterback play to keep you from the playoffs
So the Steelers are going after an outside QB, unless they’re not, in which case they won’t do that.
Got it.
I’d be worried because the Steelers could be morphing into the Pirates if their decision making gets any more muddled.
I’d have been happy if they’d morphed into the Penguins at this point, and kept Ben, Troy, The Bus and Harrison around another five years
I know some Steeler fans like to rag on Tomlin but he did a terrific job managing the inflated egos of his star players.
Since Fields has been a flop in Chicago, why would anyone trade more than a fourth on a wing and a prayer? A fourth seems to be the going price for 1st round flop quarterbacks (Trey Lance).
I was going to argue with you until I read your last sentence. I completely forgot about Lance, who was actually drafted higher than Fields. While Fields has shown more than Lance at times, he’s also a turnover machine. Fair point.
Hmm. Lance never even really played. Fields has upside in that after Lamar Jackson, he’s probably the best rushing QB in the league. With the Steelers run oriented offense, he’s a huge upgrade over Pickett/Rudolf. I also think when he’s had a good target (DJ Moore), he’s done very well. It just makes way more financial sense than overpaying for Cousins or Wilson, who would not be long term answers. And if he didn’t work out they could move on from Fields after the season without having to pay him the huge $$.
Jalen Hurts has entered the conversation.
I’d rather have Wilson or Cousins at this point rather than Fields. The Steelers are ready and some of the guys are getting on the wrong side of their playing career. Fields is turnover prone and a poor decision maker on the field. Wilson has been to the show and Cousins looked like he was going to last year until the injury. Furthermore, draft picks would be retained for much needed line help. Any Cousins or Wilson deal won’t go past 2-3 years anyway – they’ll build in a cut.
All that may be true- but it’ll cost them a TON to get Cousins away from the Vikings. Even if they can cut him after a couple of years, he won’t leave Minnesota without a lot of guaranteed money. And who can say for sure what anyone would get with Wilson?
Problem is QBs aren’t rushing anymore. Not even Lamar or Patrick. Goff, Cousins, and Stafford are great QBs who aren’t mobile.
True, but all of them have advanced passing offenses and multiple effective receivers. Pittsburgh has one. And mobility has a huge effect on how teams defend Jackson, Mahomes and Hurts. And even Fields with the Bears, to a degree… But in my first post I was just trying to point out his mobility being a plus for a run oriented offense. But not just that. The cost to acquire him and to pay him is much more affordable in the short term… Heck, we’ll all know soon enough. Poles might even keep him.
I’d add that Rudolph’s ability to throw deep had a huge effect on the run game during his starts this year.
There’s a reason that defenses weren’t meeting Najee in the backfield as he was getting the ball during Pickett’s starts. Defenses had no respect for his ability to throw and saw him as antsy even under moderate pressure. Why not load the box with him in there?
With Rudolph, a guy who could read defenses, as well, that was no longer an option (although the Bills did so in the first half of the WC game anyway)
I want Pickett to succeed but you can’t get blood from a stone. To me, Canada was out of his element here but sought to build an offense geared to Pickett’s abilities and after 24 starts you’d say it had to be with Tomlin’s approval
Again, I wish national media was correct in these trade/signing rumors they keep pushing but it all flies in the face of what we hear daily locally, that Kenny’s their guy
Pity Pickett’s mobility is mitigated by his inabilities to throw deep, read and stay calm
Wilson would be a nice addition here and would come incredibly cheap. Not that I’m a big fan of his but he checks the boxes of all issues
It would provide the team an out in saving face as Kenny would spend a couple years “learning”
Just doesn’t seem like they’re leaning that way
Good insight.
Steelers have two receivers who are solid and a TE who is solid as long as he’s healthy. Sprinkle in the two RBs and all they need is a QB to play maestro (and another OL or two wouldn’t hurt).
I’m no fan of the Bears or Steelers but I don’t see Fileds as a good fit in Pittsburgh. That said, he’s not a flop or bust on Lance’s level at all. He’s got some production and experience under his belt and has a lot more long term potential than Lance. The problem is Fields skill set needs to be enhanced in the right system and I’m not sure where that system is. A 4th for Lance was too much but it’s not enough for Fields. I could see a team paying a 3rd which could upgrade to a 2nd depending on games played. Not sure what the Falcons plans on offense look like but maybe they’d be a good fit for Fields and Ridder could benefit from sitting and watching for a couple years.
What is the right system for a QB that doesn’t know what to do with the ball?
Pickett is a bottom 4 QB let’s be real. He’s absolute garbage. A pile of dog poop would be a better option.
The Steelers are more like a new head coach away from championship contention. If Tomlin wants Fields, then he probably isn’t going to help this team.
Exactly, they just need to dump that dead weight and get one of those good coaches who turns mediocre teams into championship teams even without a good QB.
Dead weight? The only dead weight on the Steelers is Minkah and Pickett. Who pays safeties top dollar anymore? Recipe for disaster. Who keeps QBs with 13 TDs in 2 years? Poverty franchises.
The Steelers issues are QB1 not the coach.
You kidding? Minkah is worth it. You watch any of the games…?
I watch every game. Minkah – when on the field – is a great player. He misses a ton of tackles though, and for a safety that’s your main priority as the last line of defense.
That being said do you watch the games? 10 of them Minkah played in. 3 Pass deflections, no INT’s, no FF or FR…. Safety is NOT a position you want to be paying a ton to. Look at the teams who do have the top paid safeties.
LAC – Derwin James
PIT – Minkah
SEA – Jamaal Adams
ATL – Jessie Bates
MIN – Harrison Smith.
4/5 missed the playoffs. All 5 could use the money elsewhere….
Not arguing Minkah’s skill. I’m arguing the fact you shouldn’t be paying a safety top $.
They want Minkah to be some kind of Troy Polamalu morph but the latter was a generational player we’ll never see again. In addition, Troy had some solid guys around him like Clark and Taylor in the defensive backfield and some monsters on the front line and linebacker that made him a real wild card. You don’t have that now. Anytime Minkah vacates an area to play monster back, that area is almost invariably victimized.
I like Minkah. I get that they want him to play rover. But they need some upgrades on that side of the ball, too
I could not agree more with anything you just said. Minkah is a great talent and I personally like him and his attitude. But without solid players around a safety – any safety not just Minkah – it’s not a position you can give 14-17M a year to. Especially when the D-Line, CB’s, and MLB’s are all pretty thin on talent and depth. Outside of JPJ, Watt, and Heyward the talent is thin. The Highsmith deal is odd. A good player who looks better because of the attention Watt commands. Kinda like Bud Dupree. Take Watt away and what do you really get production wise?
I overlooked Benton – he seems to be a pretty talented kid as well on that line. The inevitable Heyward replacement probably 2025.
Are Star players not allowed to have an off year ?
Considering all the nagging injuries he had all year which by the way you could say that bout a couple other guys on that list of yours
I do see what you are saying about the tackling but at the end of the day he is a playmaker and is one of if not the best ball hawks from the safety position
Steelers have a LT making no money
They have a QB making no money
And they had WR making minimal money
Those are some of the highest paid positions and you have to pay someone
Minkah I have faith will be much improved next year and hopefully healthy
They have a backup QB who isn’t worth any money.
Once again, a high paid safety isn’t worth anything if the guys around him aren’t great. The Steelers do not have good enough depth or pieces to be paying a safety 15-17M a year and nothing you said is changing my mind
Don’t really care if I change your mind
You got you opinion I got mine
I wasn’t big on the trade for Minkah at the time because of Ben’s injury & thought that would be the year to be able to be bad enough to get a QB of the future
But he is here & he is the 2nd best player in the defense whether you want to believe it or not
And I never said he wasn’t. I said you don’t pay top dollar to safeties when the rest of the defense stinks. And the top 5 paid safeties shows backs that up.
You feel this defense stinks ?
Watch them all. The affect Minkah has goes unnoticed in the stats column – drops. His hits are substantial in many cases, which also unfortunately lead to some of those misses as well. When receivers are taking passes in the middle of the field, they also want to know if he’s nearby. As much as the players around him help his cause, I think the same could be applied in reverse.
In 2023 QB’s had a 84.5 QBR when targeting Minkah’s way.. Not good. Not awful. Not $15M numbers…
You’re missing the point here a bit, padam. I think he’s a good player, a cornerstone of their defense. But @MyComment…’s thinking here is on target with me
Look, Minkah was more of a presence as a “monster back” when he had guys like Haden, Sutton, Hilton and a couple other guys back there a couple years ago. They haven’t replaced those types of players—those types of hitters and coverage guys. (Hopefully Porter will be the first step in that direction)
That’s the point. It’s great to have a Troy or a Minkah but allowing them to roam as you wish opens up big lanes in the NFL
Having a D-line that takes some pressure off of Watt and Highsmith would help, too
I dunno. The Steelers defense was a bend but not break process in ‘23. Yeah, they need a QB, but they need some impact guys on this side of the ball, too, and that’s especially if they want to maximize Minkah’s talents
That’s such a bad take. Actually it’s one of the worst I’ve ever read. Fields is a million times better than Pickett. What would you do? Keep Pickett and be a loser team again next year?
I think Fields will be in Atlanta for a 3 & a swap of 5’s
They need to do something at QB(sorry not Rudolph), because what they have now is not the answer. I am not sure they could create enough cap space for Cousins or Wilson, but whether it is one of them two, Fields, drafting a next tier QB they feel is better than other team’s think, etc they have to do something, or next year is just going to be going thru the motions.
Wilson is owned 40 million this year by Denver. Anyone who signs him will offer uner 2 million.
As for cousins, he’s coming off of surgery, and will demand more than he’s worth.
Fields is not worth the draft picks that Chicago wants.
Obvious situation is to resign rudolph, he knows the team. Let him and Pickett battle it out. Under a new OC,the offense should improve immensely. Give it a year. If both flop, then move on.
Wilson is the obvious choice if they were going to go that direction. They’d get him at league veteran minimum and Denver would be on the hook for his big time salary
But unless they’re incredible poker players, they’re sticking with Pickett for another year and will make a passive attempt at getting Rudolph back. Problem is of course, that locker room wants Rudolph to be the man, especially the receivers. And all this discussion locally about “making Kenny comfortable” doesn’t bode well for them going out of their way to bring back Mason
Maybe they’ll surprise us in the next week or two, but boy, what a mess
Fields is worth a 2 & 4. Exactly what the bears want….
It’s amazing all this blather and potential wasted cap. Mason Rudolph looked like exactly the answer along with a strong run game when Tomlin finally let him back on the field at the end of last season.
If the Steelers feel they have any extra cap space, spend it on offensive line to open lanes Najee Harris and give Rudolph the breathing room he needs to burn teams deep.
Yeah, I still am taken aback by people who point at Rudolph and say, “He’s not the answer” after that run. It’s somewhat galling that they’re going to go back to Pickett, almost as if they are saying, “Don’t believe what you actually saw last season”. Sheesh
If you’re going to bring in a proven vet, so be it. But the logic with Pickett only comes down to face saving
That said, they’ve already saved a great deal by cutting Trubisky, Cole, Okorafor and Harvin. And they likely aren’t finished there. They have some money they can spend now
Rudolph is the QB game enough to take on Myles Garett in hand-to-hand combat. The man is a warrior!
Pickett is not the guy!
All this Pickett hate I am rooting for him just to see all the experts on this site walk back
Kid has shown he can ball in the 4th quarter
Kid has shown he will not turn the ball over at a high rate.
His best game of his career came the week after firing the worst OC that possibly ever held a clipboard in Pittsburgh.
He got hurt the next week
He got 1 whole game to play with a legit play script and a professional play caller
Arthur Smith is better & has had success with his playbook
Please explain what I am missing
Kenny is far from perfect but so is Diontae with his drops so is GP with his lack of effort
Freiermuth and his inability to block
Dan Moore the worst LT in football
Mason Cole whose 1 outta every 3 snaps are at the QBs feet
Rudolph had a bit of success but let’s be serious GP out ran defenses on his TDs
How many low percentage back shoulder passes to GP were called for Kenny ?
How many drops Diontae have or wrong routes he ran ?
Everyone is to blame but the put the blame on the QB
Nobody knows if he is the answer or not but he deserves a chance to prove himself to be or not to.be
lol. Pickett sucks. Rooting for him doesn’t help the fact he’s bad. He doesn’t ball in the 4th Q. The defense keeps them in the game and he leads ONE scoring drive out of 4 quarters to win. That’s nothing special. He’s NEVER won a game when the other team scores 20+…. That’s sad as can be. You claim the O Line is awful, yet rudolph stood in that same pocket with the same line just fine. Johnson had 2 drops all last year…. 2!!! Keep crying wolf. Every Steeler fan knows if he’s the answer or not. And he’s not.
Again I don’t know if he is the answer or not
He played 1 whole game without Canada calling the plays but was still running plays out of the worst playbook ever put on paper.
Wil he ever be Ben hell no but he deserves the shot to see what he could do with a real OC.
If we were picking in the Top 5 or had the assets to move up to get a top QB prospect in the draft I would say ok make the move but we don’t. We are stuck in the land of mediocrity because you know above .500 seasons are more important than anything else nowadays.
What we need to do is trade that pick 20 & try to recoup some assets for next year so if Kenny is not the answer we have something worthwhile to be able to move up & get a QB next year.
Pick 20 should be able to pull a 2nd round pick this year & a 1st next year
Our positions of need are deep spots in this years draft. We could get a quality C & RT in the 2nd round & a corner in the 3rd. 2 Defensive linemen in the 4th.
Pickett may improve over time. Rudolph/Pickett might turn out to be an ideal one/two QB tandem over the next seven years. They are both young. Rudolph as the starter when he’s healthy, Pickett picking up the slack when he’s not.
How much time are we gonna give the dude? He’s 26. Lamar had 2 MVPs by 26. He’s not good and hasn’t shown once that he is good.
Lamar got drafted to a very good team
And he had a legit OC
You talk like the playbook doesn’t matter
Every analyst on Tzv last year said how Canada’s offense was worse than high school offenses & he couldn’t script a game to save his life
Again I don’t know if he is the answer or not but I watched Rudolph & there is nothing about him that tells me Kenny couldn’t have had the same success once Sullivan started to call plays & script games
The only game he got to play was the best game of his career then he got hurt
Anyone can say what they want bout Rudolph taking the job but at the end of the day Kenny had surgery & had pins put in his ankle
As long as Rudolph was playing well Tomlin was never gonna put Kenny back in and risk more damage
The kid shouldn’t have even been made the 2nd string with that injury but that is how bad Trubisky was
All I am sayin is the kid deserves a chance
Yawn. Rudolph did fine in the same offense. Same line and he stood there in the pocket. He’s had his chance. 25 of them actually. And when the other team scores 20 points he’s NEVER won a game. Yay! Go Pickett!
Pickett said he was fine and he could play. Why if he was so hurt would he have said that? He had such a good game he only led the offense to 16 points vs the worst defense in the league… Yay??…
But that’s the thing it’s not the same offense
You said you watch every game
Sullivan calling the plays in sequence was way different than Canada’s ability to
When Canada was calling plays he fell in love with one of the worst percentage plays a QB could throw in the back shoulder pass
With Sullivan I couldn’t remember it ever being called
With Canada calling the plays Kenny didn’t do anything using the middle of the field
1st game vs Bengals he killed it going to Freiermuth
And Rudolph used the middle a lot more than Kenny ever got to with Canada
So I am sorry but the calling of the plays matter too
It was the same exact offense. If you think in 1 week that an assistant OC was able to switch a WHOLE game plan you’re insane. Kenny is afraid of the middle, that’s why it was barely used.
No clown but the assistant would script the gameplan different
The assistant proved he had an ability to call a game with a better rhythm than Canada did
And exactly who is the franchise QB you are getting ?
None of the ones available have proven to be one anywhere else
And funny only game with Canada gone & Kenny uses the middle of the field yet he is supposedly
Scared
What is Pickett supposed to say ?
Offense had 420 yards & 22 first downs
Do you remember the game Diontae dropping the ball in the end zone & the fumble in the redzone
Giving the ball to the Bengals
I am just sayin you said you watched the games all the games
Diontae had 2 feet down and made a football move. It’s not his fault Tomlin didn’t challenge the play. You can cherry pick that ONE play, but that was a Tomlin issue.
He’s supposed to say ‘I’m hurt and I can’t play it’ll hurt the team’. Not ‘I feel great I can go out there and play this week let me take reps away from the guys who need it this week’.
Like a TRUE leader would.
Bringing up the Diontae thing only because it shoulda been more than 16 pts just because of that play
Even if you give 3 pts on Warren’s fumble in the first quarter & you add the 7 from Diontae’s drop that’s 26 pts
Would that had been enough for you ?
It would’ve been the first time Pickett scored 20 and won a game.
And no, ONE game against the WORST defense in the NFL isn’t enough. Sorry the real fans of this franchise want success and not mediocrity. I apologize I want a QB who can throw more than .5 TD a GAME. Sorry I want a QB that is capable of sitting in the pocket and making a throw under pressure. Sorry I expect Super Bowls and not first round exits. Sorry I expect a QB to play well for 4 whole quarters and not use his 1 TD drive in the 4th quarter as a measure of success. Sorry I want a QB who doesn’t need his defense to keep an opponent under 20 points in order to win a single game……
Rudolph had the worst draft situation in history. The reigning future HoF QB publicly announced that he would “do nothing to help Rudolph” which in fact meant he would do everything to sabotage Rudolph.
Rudolph is a capable big QB, who can throw long. Perhaps he’s needed a bit more time in the NFL but he showed at the end of last season he’s ready now. Why waste draft capital and cap space on worse choices? Failure Fields and Over-the-Hill Wilson or Choke Cousins…
I would accept a Pickett vs Rudolph competition battle before bringing in any of the aforementioned vets
I see no reason to bring in other teams failures
You give what you got a shot & if they fail you look to the draft to find the next QB.
I agree Mason coming into the league was dealt a bad hand but at the end of the day it’s not like he wasn’t given an opportunity the year Ben got hurt & lost out to Duck Hodges
But I don’t mind giving him a fair shot nextvyear
I agree with most of what you said about Pickett, but he also missed wide open receivers A LOT last year.
The question is…why did that happen? Minor nagging injury? Shaken confidence? Can that be fixed?
Or did the “success” of his rookie year, the hype of his second year and all of those #1 Cochran commercials go to his head and make him soft?
Either way, if the price if right, I still think they should trade for Fields and make them both fight for that starting job. Fields’ ceiling is much higher. It’s worth a shot.
Oh no doubt he did and I am far from claiming he is the answer I just don’t think it’s time to toss him to the side without giving him the opportunity to play under a real OC.
Like I said if we had the assets to move up I would say do that but to take retreads without giving him a shot is counterproductive to me.
Although few & far between he has had moments
But he definitely has had more struggles than moments
I wouldn’t mind Fields to fight it out if it comes at the right price
I am not good with giving a 2nd or a 3rd
Bears wanna take a 4th & another pick later cool
But I don’t see them doing that & I see other teams willing to give up more
Johnson always wants to pull a Jim Marshall and run backwards after the catch. Pickens is the next great receiver, if they use him the right way. Pickett can be a above average QB. Give him one more year under the NEW OC. Patience is a virtue
Fields would be a nice addition to the Steelers, I think it would put them over the hump, he’s an upgrade over what they have now, especially if they used him in a run option offense
What hump? They made the playoffs and getting Fields isn’t gonna allow Pittsburgh to do anything else but a one and done
Uhhhh, no.
Chicago is trading Fields. Pittsburgh is not trading for Fields.
You lost me at the part where you said the Steelers are merely a QB from being a championship contender….lol
Fun Fact: Joe Flacco had more 300 yard games this year with the Browns than Fields and Pickett have had in their careers combined.
Don’t expect Pittsburgh to make a logical move when it comes to QB, as they knowingly went into last season with Pickett, Trubisky, and Rudolph. Anyone who watched football in 2022 knew that wasn’t the answer…
The unknown in all of this makes it all very interesting. Like you, I expect them to do nothing. It’s a typical reaction to making a 1st round selection that doesn’t pan out and if there’s one thing we can say about the Tomlin era, it’s that this is an exceedingly stubborn coach and owner who refuse to admit mistakes
What will be interesting is the Rudolph story. Is there a market for him? Does he want to leave? Do the Steelers honestly want him back when the locker room clearly wants him to be “the man” behind center.
I half expect them to trade for Zack Wilson this offseason. lol
Anyone who watched football in 2022 knew QB wasn’t the only hole the Steelers had
The biggest one being the worst OC to ever sit in a booth
The Steelers have 2 very capable QB’s in Pickett & Rudolf now they have a proper OC things should work to each individual QB’s advantages & strengthens . Face it no body’s QB was great last year unless you were a you are a KC fan , Mahones won the whole thing , everyone else has to improve, I see with some of the other statements here all other QB’s choked .
Steelers don’t need Wilson, Cousins if they get Fields or the kid from New England as they faced much the same issues Pickett faced , a horrible OC & droppsy receivers .