A turning point in Kenny Pickett’s career is approaching. He is also aware of this. Mason Rudolph was the Steelers’ primary quarterback in the spring, and Pickett hasn’t been back in the starting lineup since he had surgery to repair an ankle issue. It calls into question Pittsburgh’s position moving ahead.
When the players conducted interviews after shampooing their hair on the last day of the season, Pickett declined to address the questions during his yearly press conference. He may be retained by the Steelers for two more seasons even if he doesn’t end up starting.
Whether a different team will make a trade is the next question. With a career rating of 78.8, Pickett was far from ideal. He had 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in 25 career games. We haven’t seen anything that would make us think that performance will soon improve through 25 games of the season.
If not, Pickett will return to the field once he is well, and the Steelers are aware of this. As the 2023 NFL season approaches, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a winning streak. With a 10-7 record at the end of the regular season, they were awarded a wild card into the postseason. But in the end, the club lost heartbreakingly to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
The questions about who will be the quarterback in 2024 arise as the Steelers look to the future. According to this source, Mason Rudolph is not the starting quarterback of choice for the Steelers; instead, it is Kenny Pickett. Under head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have completed the regular season with a.500 record or better 17 times in a row.
Following a 31-17 loss to the Bills during Super Wild Card Weekend, the team will need to make some crucial decisions this offseason at quarterback. Recall that in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Steelers chose Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick. Still, the Steelers decided to start Rudolph in place of a healthy Pickett late in the season and during the playoffs.
This is particularly relevant in light of the potential for Rudolph to be named Ben Roethlisberger’s long-term starter after his retirement. The Steelers don’t appear to be happy with Rudolph and Pickett’s performance as of yet. However, a lot of supporters think it’s more likely that the team would investigate every possibility in the offseason.
Here, we examine the reasons behind the Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to start 2024 with Kenny Pickett at quarterback. His numbers include more than 2,000 passing yards, seven touchdowns, four interceptions, and a completion percentage of 62.0%. Mason Rudolph, on the other hand, completed 74.3 percent of his passes for less than 720 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Nevertheless, Pickett has the potential to become a successful franchise quarterback. Despite being the starting quarterback since 2018, 28-year-old Mason Rudolph has never taken a team to the Super Bowl. Though there are still growing pains, he will have an opportunity to become an all-around champion with Pickett. Steelers fans now have a newfound affection for Kenny Pickett.
The Steelers should let Pickett lead the team to victory with the backing of the fans. The quarterback and the fans’ relationship will be much improved by this. Declaring Pickett the starting quarterback will invigorate the offense and provide supporters with something to shout about. The Steelers turned to Rudolph in hopes of finding an offensive spark while Pickett was out.
Rudolph made three starts, all of which he won, and showed promise with a completion percentage of 74.3%, 719 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. But after he threw an interception in the defeat and finished with just 56% of the passes attempted, his incredible postseason run came to an end.
Rudolph’s NFL career did not start off well for him in Pittsburgh, despite his great achievements. Rudolph might search outside of Pittsburgh for better opportunities in his quest for a starting position. The Pittsburgh Steelers are unsure about who will start at quarterback in 2024 in general.
Kenny Pickett is expected to do better than Mason Rudolph based on available data. Pickett is a great candidate to lead the Steelers into a new age because of his strength, youth, and strong fan base. Mason Rudolph proved his usefulness, of course, particularly in the latter part of the season.
The move to start Pickett at quarterback is both predictable and encouraging as the Steelers attempt to bounce back and make it back to the title game. This is the 17th year in a row that Pittsburgh has finished with a.500 or better record. under Mike Tomlin, the head coach. But the last two years have been intriguing since the squad overcame quarterback difficulties by relying heavily on defense.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Steelers chose Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall choice. It is anticipated that he will play for two years on his rookie deal, with a five-year option. Mason Rudolph, a healthy Pickett who the organization may select as the long-term starting once Ben Roethlisberger retires, started the team’s playoff games despite the financial commitment.
Pittsburgh once claimed that Rudolph and Pickett weren’t performing well enough to be included in the team. After benching offensive coordinator Matt Canada in the middle of the season, they might be able to give Pickett another year to prove himself, but it seems like they’ll be looking at all options at this time of year.
Pittsburgh will select with the 19th choice in the 2024 NFL Draft as a result of the NFL Playoffs. They are Michael Penix Jr. of Washington and Jayden Daniels of LSU. Or, knowing that the lineup is as it is, would they be prepared to part with one of their top quarterback targets, such as Drake Maye of North Carolina, but still want to take a different route?
The Bears will be able to trade quarterback Justin Fields, who is still in the first year of his rookie deal with a fifth-year option, if Chicago wins the quarterback competition. The former 11th overall pick has run for 5.3 yards per carry on four carries and completed 61.4% of his throws for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Does the selection of a quarterback in the draft by the Seahawks and Giants allow Daniel Jones and Geno Smith to play elsewhere? Despite playing for 12 seasons, the 35-year-old has never made it to the Finals. Next season, the Illinois native will have more than 40,000 passing yards. Due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, he missed half of the 2023 season, which affected his 2,331 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
The next most likely free agent prospects are probably Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson, and Ryan Tannehill, but Mayfield is anticipated to return to Tampa Bay. After that, the team might have to depend on seasoned players with a lot of travel experience like Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston, Gardner Minshew, and Jacoby Brissett.
Wilson and Tannehill are not expected to return for the upcoming season, as stated by the Broncos and Titans. But the arrival of a productive veteran balances the locker room. The Steelers lost handily to the Bills to conclude their season.
