The Pittsburgh Steelers were lucky enough to have a franchise quarterback for 18 seasons. Ben Roethlisberger helped to lead the Steelers to three Super Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl victories, and one of the greatest offensive attacks in NFL history during the 2010s. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Roethlisberger hit a hard decline that resulted in his retirement after the 2021 season. It is very hard to have back-to-back franchise quarterbacks in the NFL, but the Steelers were hoping to find their new leader in 2022.
The Steelers opted to wait until after Roethlisberger’s retirement to do their search. It can be argued that drafting Mason Rudolph in 2018 was the original succession plan, but up until late in the 2023 season, that selection seemingly looked to be a miss. Normally, the best time to search for a future quarterback is when you don’t need one, but the Steelers did not necessarily abide by that saying. They ended up investing in Mitch Trubisky, then spent a first-round pick on Kenny Pickett in 2022. The lack of communication with the selection caused some friction and hard feelings for Trubisky.
In his weekly Q&A chat, Ray Fittipaldo was asked about this lack of planning. He was specifically asked about Jalen Hurts as a succession plan, but he chose to look at another team that is thriving with yet another franchise quarterback.
“You make a very good point there, especially since [Ben Roethlisberger] was coming off his elbow surgery. Maybe they didn’t have a good grade on Hurts. Maybe they wanted to maximize whatever time 7 had left. Another example is what the Packers did with Jordan Love. They didn’t care if they ruffled Aaron Rodgers’ feathers. They were planning for the future. It was awkward at times, but it looks like they are going to be a factor in the NFC for years to come with Love behind center.”
While the Steelers were trying to figure out life after Roethlisberger, the Green Bay Packers were willing to make the hard decisions. They drafted a player that they believed would be their future franchise quarterback, even though they still were making the playoffs with Aaron Rodgers under center.
Rodgers took exception, seemingly held the team hostage for a lucrative extension in the 2022 offseason, then demanded to be traded during the 2023 offseason. The Packers did struggle during the regular season in 2022, but one subpar year is worth it when you have your quarterback of the future. After sitting and developing for many years, Jordan Love took the Packers to the NFC Divisional Round and put up a good fight against the best team in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are stuck in quarterback purgatory. There is supposedly some internal division on if Pickett or Rudolph should start in 2024, even though Rudolph is a pending free agent. Rumors are spreading like wildfire, as the Steelers are reportedly linked to Russell Wilson, as well as Justin Fields, who has seemingly not been able to reach his full potential in his three seasons with the Chicago Bears.
Steelers Could Learn From Packers
Being a backup quarterback for so long can be hard on a young player who wants to be on the field, but Love was able to make the most of it. He stayed the course, didn’t complain about it, and now, Love is the new franchise quarterback in Green Bay.
Meanwhile, after Pickett was unable to regain his starting position from Rudolph in 2023, he took exception and became a bit of a distraction. There were reports of him refusing to be Rudolph’s backup, which he denied. Despite being the offensive captain, he also refused to speak during the last days in the facility, while many other teammates covered for him.
The Packers did their due diligence, just like they did when they drafted Rodgers, despite having Brett Favre on the team. Maybe the Steelers can learn a thing or two from Green Bay when it comes to handling quarterbacks moving forward.
