The Pittsburgh Steelers turned what had been a rather subpar 2023 season into their own version of success by making it into the 2023 playoffs. Unfortunately, the attrition of the season and self-inflicted errors brought about Pittsburgh's early postseason exit. With the surprise of Mason Rudolph being the quarterback to lead the Steelers to their first playoff berth since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the 2024 offseason is sure to have plenty of tough decisions to make. Mike Tomlin is approaching that situation with a realistic, but hopeful perspective.
Conor Courtney / Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph has handled his challenges with maturity.
Steelers' Desire To Bring Back Rudolph May Not Matter
When the season ends abruptly, as most playoff losses do, there is a jarring sense of shock that lingers for a bit. Directly following Pittsburgh's 2023 Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, Tomlin was having none of the questions regarding his future in the postgame press conference, leaving the podium when asked.
After having a couple of days to sit with Pittsburgh's reality, Tomlin was in a better place to answer the media. A big topic on Wednesday was Rudolph and whether his future was with the Steelers or another NFL team. Tomlin understands the desire of the Steelers franchise to bring him back, but he also knows that might not be up to them. The first Rudolph-based inquiry was for confirmation on whether the Steelers want to bring Rudolph back in 2024.
"It is, but he [Rudolph] is a free agent, and it is free agency, and so we'll see where that leaves us."
There will be a great deal that goes into Rudolph's choice, especially considering that he was never treated as a welcomed sight in Pittsburgh up until the final games of the 2023 season. Is that enough for Rudolph? Will he be willing to forgo other teams throwing larger sums at him to return and prove the rest of the doubters in Pittsburgh wrong? Tomlin wasn't willing to go further into the situation on Thursday, admitting that if he tried to give any specific or definite answers, he would be simply giving his opinion.
"We've got a lot of decisions regarding free agency. Mason is scheduled to be a free agent, so I'd be speculating about some of those things."
It seems like Tomlin is well aware that the choice will be entirely Rudolph's, so it would have been a waste of everyone's time for him to try and peek into the future. Considering the roller coaster that their 2023 season was, no one knows what the future will hold. Wanting Rudolph back and having that happen are two very different things; all that's left to see is how much effort Pittsburgh puts into securing him.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter / x: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been heavily criticized, but sticking with his ways resulted in a playoff appearance in 2023 for the team.
Steelers' 2024 Season Starts Now
While Pittsburgh's hopes of a deep 2023 playoff run didn't come to fruition, they still shocked most of the NFL by even making it into the postseason. With the challenges of the season behind them, the Steelers can now turn to the difficult questions waiting for them in the offseason.
Injuries took a heavy toll on the Steelers in 2023. Losing starting inside linebackers in Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb, devasted the interior of the defense and put everything onto the already-injured shoulders of Elandon Roberts. Patrick Peterson was moved to safety to make up for a ton of injuries there, including Minkah Fitzpatrick, who simply wasn't his usual game-changing self all season long.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers inside linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) waits for the snap during the team's 2023 Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
TJ Watt will be continuing his knee rehabilitation into the offseason rather than hoping for another postseason game, which has to be a painful disappointment to the player who deserves to be the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year. Watt still hasn't won a playoff game in his career, and with him missing the Wild Card game in Buffalo, he will have to keep waiting. Pittsburgh has plenty of talent, but will they be able to right their ship and actually add to their Lombardi collection before aging becomes a real issue?
The Steelers' franchise will take a collective moment to breathe and collect itself, but then the work continues. Nothing about the 2023 season went according to plan, despite the unexpected success, and so 2024 will need to be better. Whether they can live up to that challenge will need to be seen.
#SteelerNation
