Steelers' Art Rooney II provides update on team's plans for Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett

It's going to be an interesting offseason in Pittsburgh

Quarterback was the initial topic from Steelers president Art Rooney II's annual meeting with select media members that started to make the rounds on Monday afternoon. That should come as no surprise given what transpired at that position in 2023, when Mason Rudolph finished with the hot hand after starter Kenny Pickett went down with an injury. 

Regarding Pickett, Rooney echoed Mike Tomlin's recent sentiments by stating that the Steelers are expecting big things from him in 2024, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Rooney added that he would like to retain Rudolph in order to provide competition for Pickett. 

When it comes to the offense, Rooney said that he was encouraged with what he saw during the season's final four games. The Steelers were 3-1 in those games and averaged nearly 370 total yards per contest. The team's starting quarterback during that span was Rudolph, who threw two touchdown passes and an interception during Pittsburgh's loss to Buffalo on Super Wild Card Weekend. 

Rudolph is slated to be a free agent, so the Steelers have until March 13 to re-sign him before he can begin negotiating with other teams. 

While the Steelers will try to keep Rudolph, Tomlin said during his season-ending press conference that the expectation is that the job is Pickett's to lose. But unlike this past offseason, Pickett will have to compete for the job. His competition will likely be Rudolph and either a rookie or a veteran who will be acquired this offseason. 

The Steelers were expecting the 2023 season to be a big one for Pickett, who ended his rookie season on a strong note by leading Pittsburgh to a 7-2 record down the stretch. But the Steelers offense never really got going under Pickett until Week 12, just after the team fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. 

Pickett injured his ankle during the first half of the following week's game against the Arizona Cardinals. He would not take another snap during the 2023 season as the Steelers stuck with Rudolph during the season's final games. 

At this point, it appears that the opinion regarding Pickett and his potential are split among Steelers fans. Some feel that Pickett has shown enough flashes of potential to keep optimism. Others feel that he would have already made the jump by now. 

Everyone can probably agree that Pickett wasn't put in the best position to succeed during his first two NFL seasons. Finding the right offensive coordinator, however, could go a long way in helping Pickett get to where he and the Steelers want to go. A little competition from Rudolph might not hurt, either.