Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Wrap-up Part I – Looking Up or Down?

Now that the dust is settling on what was the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 season, there is one thing Steelers Nation knows. That is Mike Tomlin coming back for a 19th season. But the criticism of Tomlin and the Steelers is spreading like wildfire. There are many that wanted a change on the sideline and have Tomlin move on. I’ve tried extremely hard to support Mike Tomlin but looking back at his career and this past season, it is becoming increasingly difficult to have any optimism about the Steelers and Tomlin.

In watching his season ending press conference what alarmed me was Tomlin’s demeanor. Coach T has always been a quiet, mild mannered head coach. He’s not one to show too much emotion, but at this press conference he was very matter of fact and there was no sense of urgency regarding the state of the Steelers. Team President Art Rooney II wasted no time when the final gun ended Pittsburgh’s season in Baltimore to declare that Mike Tomlin would return.

Since the loss to the Ravens, Rooney has shown no urgency or a large amount of concern about where his team is. I’m sure his father Art Rooney Sr. would not have tolerated how the team has been performing. The first thought in most football fan’s minds when the name Tomlin comes up is his 18 straight winning seasons and never having had a sub .500 record. That’s all well and good but when taking a good hard look at how the teams have done since 2007 when Tomlin took over and how this current roster looks, it’s not something that would create optimism. 

I criticized George Pickens last week for publicly saying he has no confidence in his offense. I am now amending that opinion because I must agree with the Steelers’ star receiver. Just consider that the only quarterback the Steelers have under contract right now is a man they just signed as a free agent the other day. Skylar Thompson. I have one simple one word question about that signing…WHY? I mean are the Steelers playing games with their fans? This past season it was a combination of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. By signing Thompson does that mean neither free agent Fields nor Wilson will be brought back?

I wrote earlier this season that the Steelers will never reach another Super Bowl without an elite quarterback. Neither Fields nor Wilson is that guy. Just look at the eight teams remaining in the Super Bowl dance playing in the divisional round. Houston’s C.J. Stroud has been pretty darn good in his young career but I’m not ready to call him elite. Still, he is better than the two quarterbacks Pittsburgh put on the field this season.

Nothing needs to be said about Patrick Mahomes. He’s that great. In Washington, Jayden Daniels had an amazing rookie season so it’s too early to call him elite, but he is sure carving a path to get there in just his first season in the NFL. Jared Goff has proven he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league since joining the Lions. Matthew Stafford won the Super Bowl with the Rams and Jalen Hurts, when not injured, is an excellent signal caller. 

Then you have Lamar Jackson, two-time M.V.P. and Josh Allen who should win this season’s Most Valuable Player Award. That brings us back to the Steelers who since Ben Roethlisberger retired have yet to find another franchise quarterback. I think Pittsburgh’s problems are with coaching and talent. We desperately need a franchise quarterback and he’s not on the current roster. To play defense the way this team did in the loss to the Ravens is a result of some coaching and some lack of talent. 

The bigger problem is that Tomlin talks about some changes, but he seems more content on just making some fixes and trying to avoid playing the same way in 2025. Looking back, I think he made a MAJOR mistake in not allowing Justin Fields to remain the starter until he played himself out of that role. What he can do for an entire season is now an unknown and he is a free agent. Is he given a new contract without fully knowing his potential? That does not make sense. 

The 2025 season is eight months away but already there is a thought process going on in Steelers Nation that has fans believing that sure we might have another winning season but if we get to the playoffs again, we are only going to lose in the very first game. Looking back at Tomlin’s record as head coach of the Steelers, yes, he has those 18 winning seasons, been to two Super Bowls and playoffs many times. His playoff record is a losing one, 8-11. Since the Steelers last playoff victory in 2016, Tomlin’s teams have lost six straight that includes five straight opening round losses. 

Consider this as well…when Mike Tomlin won the Super Bowl in the 2008 season, it was only his second year as head coach, and he inherited most of Bill Cowher’s team. There were only six players on that roster which Tomlin was responsible for drafting or signing and they were Dallas Baker (who was a bust), William Gay, Rashard Mendenhall, Matt Spaeth, Lawrence Timmons, and LaMarr Woodley. Only Timmons and Woodley had a major impact on the team’s success. Mendenhall was a nut case but a decent back but had little to do with the victory in Super Bowl XLIII. 

When the Steelers returned to the Super Bowl in 2010 only to lose to Green Bay those same Tomlin originals were still on the roster and all other players dated back to the Bill Cowher era. So, it is obvious that Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Omar Khan have not been able to produce a championship caliber team. That’s not encouraging.

To Mike Tomlin’s credit, his winning percentage in 18 seasons of .630 bests that of the only other two coaches Pittsburgh has had since 1969, Chuck Noll who won 342 games, the most in Steelers history with a won/loss percentage of .566 and Bill Cowher who finished with a mark of 240-169 (.623). Tomlin is exactly 50 victories from reaching Noll’s final total but based on this season’s 10 win season, Tomlin would have to coach five more seasons to catch Noll. I honestly believe Tomlin won’t be on the Steelers sidelines for another five years.

Related to what I just stated above, it is my opinion that if the Steelers reach the postseason again in the 2025 season, Mike Tomlin is going to be on a red-hot seat regarding his job as head coach. It is highly unlikely that the Steelers will be good enough to finish with the AFC’s best record therefore they will be playing in the wild card round again if they make the playoffs. 

If the Steelers are playing in the wild card round again in 2026, the pressure will be on Tomlin and Art Rooney to win at least that opening game. I believe Tomlin does not survive to see another season if he suffers his sixth straight opening round playoff loss. To ensure that, he must spend this offseason making MAJOR changes. I mean major. Heading into the status quo next season can not be a case of just drafting some players, signing a few insignificant free agents, and then believing your team has improved and gotten past the weaknesses that resulted in a season ending five game losing streak.

Now to put this quarterback issue into perspective, for Ben Roethlisberger’s 18-year career (ironically the same number of seasons Mike Tomlin has been at the helm), he was the quarterback for 165 victories, 81 losses, and one tie. That’s a winning percentage of .668. Since he retired in 2021, the three seasons without him have resulted in a won/loss record of 29-22 or a .568 winning percentage a full .100 difference. Replacing Big Ben for the last three years was Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and now this past season a combination of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. That’s five different quarterbacks taking snaps.

After the playoff loss to Buffalo last season, team President Art Rooney II said we needed better quarterback play. Did he get it? Here are the stats to make that determination:

• Between Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky in 2023, the three combined for 3,163 yards, a completion percentage of 63.8, 13 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and the three were sacked 36 times.

• The season that just concluded saw Justin Fields and Russell Wilson (with Kyle Allen getting in for a few series) combining for a completion percentage of 64.3 along with 3,264 passing yards and 21 touchdowns through the air. There were only six interceptions all season, but that duo was sacked 49 times. 

• In running the ball, Mason Rudolph rushed for just eight yards and Pickett 54 along with a touchdown. Mitch Trubisky also rushed for 54 and scored one more time than did Pickett on the ground. 

• The 2024 season saw Justin Fields highly effective running the ball good for 289 yards rushing and five scores. Russell Wilson, who is clearly not as nimble as the younger Fields, ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns. 

• Last season, Pickett had one long pass for 72 yards and Rudolph another for 86. This season, Russell Wilson’s longest pass was for just 46 yards and Fields completed one for 55. 

With the above stats you can see there was a smidgen of improvement in the quarterback position but not in the sacks. That could be because of how Russell Wilson holds on to the ball just a tad too long. It’s apparent that the Steelers once again need improvement at that position for starters to get ahead of this playoff drought. I don’t believe Wilson is the answer nor is Justin Fields. So how do the Steelers improve at quarterback?

Here are veteran quarterbacks that are free agents in 2025 with my comments:

• Sam Darnold (just look his last two games…I’ll pass!)
• Zach Wilson (forget that name)
• Trey Lance (once a solid prospect but no way a franchise QB)
• Jacoby Brissett (used, abused, and worn out)
• Taylor Heinicke (not the answer)
• Marcu Mariota (too many opportunities to prove himself and not worth bringing in)
• Drew Lock (eh…no thanks)
• Andy Dalton (past his prime if there ever was one)
• Joe Flacco (yea right)
• Jameis Winston (a turnover machine)
• Mac Jones (the Jags will want him back as a backup)
• Carson Wentz (interesting…possibility)
• Jimmy Garoppolo (been around the block too many times)
• Mason Rudolph (he had a chance this season to prove his ending to the Steelers career was legit and he failed)
• Case Keenum (don’t even give this dude the time of day)
• Cooper Rush (didn’t play too badly in Dallas but not the answer)
• Joshua Dobbs (no not again!)
• Tyler Huntley (serviceable backup and that’s where it ends)

There are more but they are not worth mentioning. As Pittsburgh has the 21st pick in the draft, this year’s collegiate quarterback class is not regarded as a particularly good one. The three biggest prospects are Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Cameron Ward (Miami), and Neon Dion’s son Shedeur Sanders. Unless the Steelers pull off a major trade and move up in the draft order, they won’t even smell any of these three.

So, what is Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin to do? It appears they have no choice but to bring back Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields.

Pittsburgh will get back a few injured offensive linemen that might help matters but receivers is another issue. Personally, I don’t like George Pickens’ attitude, and it would not bother me to see him traded. But the Steelers need a big time #1 and #2 to make the offense better. The running game? I would let Najee Harris walk and look for a complement to Jalen Warren. 

Defensively? As great as T.J. Watt has been, he would be perfect trade bait to improve the roster with a position player that is in the direst need. I would put the onus on the younger linebackers to step up and continue to get better (Payton Wilson, Nick Herbig for starters). Pittsburgh needs a stout run stopping defensive lineman as Cameron Heyward’s future is undetermined and he’ll be another year older.

The bottom line is this…the Steelers can either make some very drastic changes to put them in the serious Super Bowl contender conversation, or clean house and start over with expectations of some losing seasons until they get all the right players in place to be serious competitors again.



In part two of this series, I’ll provide commentary on each player that was on the roster in 2024 as to how they did and what their futures might look like.