The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in NFL purgatory for the better part of a decade. That is mainly due to the quarterback position, as it is near impossible to win a Super Bowl or make noise in the playoffs without elite play under center. Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, but even in his last couple of seasons, it did not seem like Pittsburgh had much of a shot to win anything meaningful. That feeling became amplified after his retirement and the Steelers were stuck starting Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph over the next two years.
The organization has struggled at the quarterback position in the post-Roethlisberger era, and the franchise has caught a lot of scrutiny for that. It was clear Roethlisberger was going to retire at some point, yet seemingly no succession plan ever took place. Pittsburgh is still scrambling to find quarterbacks, as the room has been completely turned over for the second season in a row and a solidified starter is not under contract.
Former Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley suggested during a recent episode of Kaboly + Mack that talks of a succession plan were always happening.
"It's really hard to transition from a Hall of Fame-type quarterback," Haley argued. "I've been in those meetings. I mean, you got Ben, he's playing at a level, you feel like you can win it all if you can get past [Tom] Brady or whoever the other players are. But you're sitting there with a first-round pick. Are we taking TJ Watt, or are we looking to the future? That's a really difficult thing when you're a good team."
Pittsburgh's own consistency was really what kept the team from looking to commit to a succession plan for Roethlisberger. The team always felt like competitors during his prime, which made it difficult not to draft the player that would help the team in another area other than quarterback. Drafting for the future is always a good idea, but it is hard to pass up on players that could contribute immediately.
A succession plan at quarterback really should have been thought about in the years after Roethlisberger signed his extension in 2015. The contract would be over after the 2019 season, and if Pittsburgh had a solid backup plan at that point, moving on could have been a possibility. The franchise drafted quarterbacks, but never with high picks. Joshua Dobbs was selected in the fourth-round of the 2017 NFL Draft and Mason Rudolph was drafted in the third-round in 2018.
A true succession looks like what the Green Bay Packers did in 2020 when they drafted Jordan Love in the first-round, although Aaron Rodgers was still on the roster. This move clearly worked out, but the Steelers never attempted something like this. Haley did share that there were talks of doing it, but it was difficult to move forward with that plan.
"It's hard to pull the trigger," Haley said. "The discussions were always had. There were times when I knew, say [Patrick] Mahomes' year, hey this guy, he'd be pretty exciting to have around, but we need another big-time receiver, or we need a guard that can play. Whoever it is. It's very easy to talk about for us on the outside and fans, but man, when you're right there and you look at your team and you say we got a chance, it's hard to pull the trigger on that."
Pittsburgh had Patrick Mahomes in for a pre-draft visit, but the organization was never in position to draft him. Even if they had been, it is hard to imagine the Steelers would have pulled the trigger since they were always viewed as competitors. In the moment, it feels more important to draft a player that can contribute immediately and potentially get the team over the hump in the playoffs as a contender.
Steelers Are Still Paying The Price For Poor Planning After Ben Roethlisberger
The Steelers are still hunting for their next franchise quarterback, and there is a chance the franchise might find one in the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shedeur Sanders could be on the board when the Steelers are picking, or the organization could trade up to select him. However, this could all be a mistake as the quarterback class in 2025 is not considered to be great.
