The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an exciting but rocky offseason. The team has made several blockbuster trades and landed promising rookies in the draft. However, the organization has failed to secure a clear starting quarterback for the upcoming season, and it's caused lots of uncertainty for the team's offense going into Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
The Steelers haven't had a losing season since 2003, and Head Coach Mike Tomlin has not had a losing season since the start of his tenure with Pittsburgh in 2007. Plenty of times, entering a new season, it has been speculated that the Steelers would finally fall to a losing season and break Tomlin's streak. With the Steelers' current difficulties, the conversation of the Pittsburgh's non-losing season streak breaking has started once again.
The team's quarterback situation could also be pinned on Tomlin, even if he isn't directly responsible for it. One former NFL head coach says that due to the team's struggles, Tomlin's job as a head coach could be in jeopardy.
On Monday, former NFL Head Coach Jay Gruden spoke on the Empty Pocket podcast about how the offseason was going for every AFC North team. When it came to the Steelers, Gruden didn't hold back. Gruden was asked if Rodgers doesn't sign with Pittsburgh, at what point is Tomlin in the hot seat?
"I think this year it's a little warm for him," Gruden said. "I think a lot of these coaches start out with a warm hot seat, then see how you do. If Aaron Rodgers doesn't come and Mason Rudolph isn't the answer, you've lost Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. If Justin Fields performs well with the New York Jets somehow, there's going to be some questions about your decision-making at the quarterback spot. They haven't gotten it right yet. They don't have a future that I can see."
Tomlin is known to like Rodgers as a player and could be partially responsible for the team's willingness to wait so long for a decision from the quarterback. The Steelers do have quarterbacks currently on their roster who could lead the team, but none who stand out as an obvious first choice.
If a deal with Rodgers falls through, the team could be left scrambling for a signal-caller. It would be a bad look for the franchise, but especially for Tomlin, if it is revealed that the head coach pushed for the Steelers to wait for Rodgers.
Could Tomlin lead the team successfully without Rodgers? Gruden named the Steelers' newest signal-caller, Will Howard, as a possible fix for the team's quarterback-sized hole in its roster. Gruden said that if Tomlin can develop Howard into a starter, it would reflect well on the franchise's leader. However, if Tomlin fails to make the most of Howard, it could put his job security in danger.
"Maybe it's Will Howard," Gruden noted. "Will Howard is an interesting pick. Maybe he's a tough Pittsburgh-type of player. He's physical. He weighs as much as Josh Allen. He's got that ability to run between the tackles. Maybe they turn to him, and if they see promise late in the year with him as their future quarterback, then yeah, Tomlin will be alright. But if they have no chance of resurrecting this offense, then I think they need to do something because on offense, they haven't gotten it right in many, many years."
The Steelers haven't had a reliable quarterback since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. For continued success on offense, the Steelers and Tomlin will need to find consistency at the signal-caller position.
Steelers' 2025 Offseason Has Been Rather Hectic
Although the Steelers' quarterback dilemma has drawn most of the media's attention, it could still all work out for Pittsburgh. If nothing else, many within the Steelers organization, including Art Rooney II, are still confident that Rodgers is sure to come to Pittsburgh. If the Steelers do land Rodgers, Tomlin could lead the team to its first playoff victory in years with the veteran quarterback at the helm.
