Steelers fans should expect a new QB room, again

If you go back to 2023 the Pittsburgh Steelers had a quarterback depth chart that looked like this at season’s end:

• Kenny Pickett
• Mitch Trubisky
• Mason Rudolph

That offseason the Steelers gave Trubisky is outright release, traded Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Mason Rudolph joined the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

Before you knew it, the team was looking at an entirely different quarterback room for the 2024 season. The first shoe to drop was the signing of recently released Russell Wilson, then came the trade to acquire Justin Fields with the Chicago Bears, and finally the addition of Kyle Allen rounded out the room.

In 2024 this was your quarterback room:

• Russell Wilson
• Justin Fields
• Kyle Allen

All three of those aforementioned quarterbacks are slated to hit free agency in March, and some are wondering if the team will “run it back” with Wilson and Fields battling for the starting job in 2025. As Art Rooney II met with media Monday afternoon, and said it’s “unlikely” the team brings back both quarterbacks.

“I wouldn’t close the door, but I’d say it’s probably unlikely,” Rooney said Monday. “I think both of them see themselves as starters and I don’t know that they want to share the same job again next year. So, I would say most likely we probably don’t wind up bringing them both back.”

Does Rooney have a preference as to who he would want to be the starting quarterback for the black-and-gold in 2025? While admitting the quarterback position is the priority, he also knows there are a lot of moving parts to making this decision.

“They’re both capable quarterbacks, and my preference would be to sign one of them,” Rooney said. “So that’ll be the priority, and I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward.

“… We’ve got a whole quarterback room to fill, and so there’s jobs open in there. I wouldn’t be surprised if we look in the draft as well either this year or next, and so that’s got to be the priority.”

When asked if age will play a role in the decision Rooney said it absolutely would weigh into the equation, but Rooney also admitted they’d like to get a deal done with a quarterback for more than one year. While this might point to having Wilson on the outside looking in, considering his age and if the Steelers would want to sign him for more than one year, Rooney didn’t rule out a return of either quarterback.

“It sort of takes two to tango, and so we’ll see where it goes,” Rooney said. “I think my preference would probably be to have something more than a one year in place next time around, but we’ll see what it takes.”

This will be a difficult decision for the Steelers this offseason, one Rooney openly admits will be a challenge for both parties to get on the same page.

“I thought both Russ and Justin showed promise in certain stretches during the season, and I think they’re both capable of being starters in this league,” Rooney said. “So we have decisions, and they have decisions, too.”

Either way, it looks as if the Steelers will be seeing a new quarterback room in 2025. Will it be a complete overhaul like last offseason? Most likely that won’t happen, but will it be one quarterback returning and two new signal callers to round out the room? That seems more than likely after Rooney spoke for the first time since the season ended.

How the Steelers round out the quarterback room could be a combination of free agency and the NFL Draft, but finding the next starter will be paramount. And if the Steelers like to keep Wilson or Fields, they can start the negotiations right now and not have to wait until the new league year begins in March.

In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the offseason.