The Steelers yet again ended a mediocre season in quality fashion, sneaking into the playoffs before their traditional first round exit. With the quarterback question still unsettled, Pittsburgh now has to decide whether they want to ride with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph or seek an outside candidate at QB.

Steelers GM Omar Khan has been very active in his first year and a half in terms of trades and signings, implying that perhaps the Steelers will make a move in the best offseason to find a QB in either free agency or the draft in at least a decade. Regardless of what the organization chooses to do, we won’t know until at least 4 p.m. on March 13, when the free agency period will begin.

While drafting a quarterback is not off the table, with the organization being linked to both Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr., I do not trust the organization to develop a QB after Pickett. For now, I will be considering free agent/trade options from best to worst in terms of talent, window and team fit while comparing them to the two quarterbacks currently on the roster.

Kirk Cousins

While certainly an unlikely option, it is not completely out of the realm of possibility. This past season, Cousins was quickly solidifying himself as an elite quarterback before tearing his achilles. He has made it clear that he wants to return to Minnesota, but the Vikings have not yet reciprocated.

The main priority for the Vikings is keeping Justin Jefferson, who becomes a free agent after next season. With Jefferson saying he wants to “break the bank” with his next contract, Cousins will most likely have to either accept a team-friendly deal or find a new home.

The Steelers would have to make a lot of roster adjustments to sign Cousins, but the move, in my opinion, would catapult the Steelers into the upper echelon of the AFC. Cousins has occasionally struggled due to a lack of pass protection and a lackluster running game, two things that are not as big of an issue in Pittsburgh.

Russell Wilson

I personally think this is the likeliest option outside of the Steelers continuing to bang their heads against the wall by running it back with Pickett and signing Ryan Tannehill. It is also my personal favorite.

Wilson has not performed at his typical level while in Denver, but it has been largely not his fault. His first year was a wash due to the coaching of Nathaniel Hackett, who was brought in in a failed effort to entice Aaron Rodgers over to the Broncos after the 2021-2022 season.

With Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton at the helm this past year, Wilson showed flashes of his former prowess. After starting the season 1-5, the Wilson-led Broncos won five straight games against the Packers, Chiefs, Bills, Vikings and Browns to re-enter the playoff picture.

Despite Wilson being well outside of his prime, he is leaps and bounds ahead of Pickett. In 2023 alone, Wilson threw for 3,070 yards and 26 TDs with eight interceptions. For comparison, Pickett has thrown 13 TDs and INTs in 25 career games.

What really separates this option from all the others is how well Wilson will fit with the Steelers. Wilson’s best years in Seattle were bolstered by a stellar defense and running game, the two areas where the Steelers excel the most. Additionally, the Steelers can get him for a bargain. Because Denver’s contract with Wilson guarantees his salary for the next two years, the Steelers can pay him the vet minimum ($915,000) while the Broncos foot the rest of the bill. This makes him an even cheaper option than Pickett, whose base salary for the 2024 season is $1,983,900.

Justin Fields

The former Buckeye is no doubt the flashiest option on the table. Fields and the Bears have made it increasingly obvious that both parties wish to part ways so that Chicago can draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The three-year pro has been tied to both Pittsburgh and Atlanta, with both teams exemplifying the run-first approach that he excels in.

While his skills as a passer are constantly doubted, he threw 10 more TDs than Pickett last season while also rushing for over 650 yards.

We have yet to see Fields in an NFL environment where he isn’t constantly running for his life due a terrible offensive line, implying that the best has yet to come. With the chip on his shoulder that comes from being passed over for a professionally-unproven draft prospect, Fields is set for a breakout year.

I see this option as perhaps the best long term given Fields’ youth, but it doesn’t provide the same “win-now” mentality that both Wilson and Cousins would inspire. The biggest drawback in pursuing Fields would be the cost. With Fields under contract, the Steelers would most likely have to give up either their first or second round pick to acquire him. Given that Khan has demonstrated a knack for finding gems in the draft, I believe that pick, which will most likely be used on an interior lineman or secondary player, is more valuable than bringing in Fields.

Mason Rudolph

Rudolph’s three-game win streak that carried the Steelers to the playoffs was undoubtedly impressive, but it also fits a larger trend in Mike Tomlin’s coaching tenure of getting hot right at the end of the season en route to a Wildcard Weekend dismantling. He performed decently in the playoff matchup against the Bills, certainly better than Pickett would have done. Rudolph’s two touchdown passes against Buffalo tie Pickett’s career record, a mark he has hit one time in 25 career games.

The Steelers going with Rudolph as the starter feels like the least likely option besides Cousins, but he would certainly perform the best out of anyone currently on the roster. With reports getting out that other teams are interested in signing Rudolph in free agency, I doubt the Steelers outbid the market for his services. I see Rudolph as a quality spot-starter for a team in transition a la Gardner Minshew.

Kenny Pickett

Pickett’s return to the starting QB role is the worst option, and also the most likely to happen. This decision would also most likely coincide with the signing of Titans QB Tannehill, who despite being well past his prime, would be a great fit for the organization. New Steelers OC Arthur Smith worked in the same role with Tannehill in Tennessee before his subpar tenure as head coach of the Falcons. Pickett would still be the starting QB, but Tannehill would be a solid option for when the injury-prone Pickett inevitably goes down.

Pickett, outside of Bryce Young, has been the worst starting quarterback in the NFL for the past two years. He is the only quarterback in NFL history with at least 500 pass attempts and a touchdown rate lower than two percent. Pickett had six touchdown passes last season, two less than Zach Wilson and only four higher than Derrick Henry, who also ran for 1,167 yards. When Pickett can do that, I’ll excuse him seemingly being allergic to throwing down the middle of the field. I firmly believe that Pickett’s alma mater and the power of the sunk-cost fallacy are the only reasons he is being considered for the starting job in 2024.

While Pickett’s record thus far has been impressive, wins are not a quarterback stat. The herculean efforts of defenders like TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith are much more responsible for the team’s success than the abysmal quarterback play of Pickett. It is time to acknowledge that the Steeler way is not infallible and own up on a clear mistake. Any of the former options will give the organization a much better shot at getting its first playoff win in almost a decade.

Contact Aaron Lee at alee@newsandsentinel.com.