The Pittsburgh Steelers have a chance to make the AFC playoffs. In the most likely scenario, the Steelers have to beat Tyler Huntley and the Baltimore Ravens and hope for a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are playing the wounded Miami Dolphins for the AFC East Title in the last game of Week 18. The Jaguars will face their bitter division rival, the Tennessee Titans. The bad blood between the Jaguars and Titans runs deep.
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Steelers critic, Mike Florio.
On Wednesday, Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller for his weekly appearance on the program. Andrew Fillipponi is on vacation this week. Chris Mueller asked Florio if the Steelers, who had played miserably on offense before inserting Mason Rudolph in the lineup, could make noise if they did make the AFC playoffs. Specifically, if Rudolph could play himself into a return engagement with the Steelers if he could possibly win a playoff game and end the seven-year playoff win drought.
“Oh, absolutely. If he gets them to the playoffs and they would win a playoff game, then it would be him and somebody else and maybe even Kenny Pickett,” Florio observed. “You know it could be that you’ve got a Terry Bradshaw, Terry Hanratty, Joe Gilliam situation next year - where you’ve got multiple quarterbacks and they will just play the best guy. Like any other position on the field, you earn your reps. You get to play if you’re the best option.”
Florio's observation about rotating quarterbacks worked in the 1970s to a point. Terry Bradshaw and Joe Gilliam were phenomenal natural talents, and Terry Hanratty offered stability. Chuck Noll had some success in 1972 and 1973 with a rotation, but the Steelers did not become a Super Bowl team until he finally handed the keys over to Bradshaw for good during the 1974 season.
Post-Gazette File Photo
Steelers' Terry Hanratty, Joe Gilliam, and Terry Bradshaw formed an awkward quarterback rotation that nearly derailed the 1974 run to Super Bowl IX.
It was a very different time in the NFL during the 1970s. The current rookie salary cap structure and the disposability of young quarterbacks might hamper any attempt to make a rotation work. It would not fit the economics of the modern game and would likely lead to major issues with any young quarterback.
“They won’t hesitate to play musical chairs if they feel like they need to,” Florio continued. “Pickett’s under contract for two more years with a fully guaranteed salary. They aren’t crippling, they are very reasonable numbers. Especially as backup veteran quarterbacks go, if they were going to go out and sign somebody. I could see Pickett, Rudolph, and somebody else, and then it’s just go see who the best guy is, and we’ll figure out who the best guy is based on competition.”
In theory, that is how a professional football team should work; the best player plays. The realities of the salary cap world prevent teams with a quarterback on a rookie salary cap from experimenting with a rotation. First-round quarterbacks who are not established by year three put their franchise in a precarious position because of the fifth-year option.
Who Is The Best Choice For The Steelers At Quarterback?
Pickett is entering his third NFL season, and if he is part of a three-person rotation next season, it will put the Steelers in a position where they have no option but to gamble. The Steelers' choice to lead the franchise has been injured too often. He has paired his poor health with substandard production. Pickett is a winner and has posted multiple fourth-quarter comebacks, but the fact that Rudolph has taken the same offense and led an explosion of points is not a good sign.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A7782-544x306.jpg "Steelers Kenny Pickett")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (#8) makes a throw during warmups before the team's annual training camp night practice in Latrobe, PA.
A rotation of a young quarterback with a veteran who can provide a spark has been effective in NFL history. The problem is that it has not worked in decades. The legendary John Madden, who dealt with his own quarterback controversies when he coached the Oakland Raiders, described a team with a quarterback rotation.
"If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none."
Noll and Madden could not win a championship with a quarterback rotation. Should Steeler Nation expect Mike Tomlin to make it work? The current standard is finishing with a .500 record and winning a playoff game every decade or so. Under those conditions, maybe it could. The question is, will that satisfy fans of the black and gold and, more importantly, Art Rooney II?
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you a fan of a potential quarterback rotation in Pittsburgh? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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