By Dale Lolley for Steelers.com
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Steelers currently have just two quarterbacks – veterans Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson – on their roster.
With that in mind, head coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday here at annual NFL meeting at The Breakers that the team is still willing to explore all avenues to fill out its roster at that very crucial position.
“We’re still evaluating the acquisition of a guy at that position, whether it’s free agency and/or the draft, and so we’re doing our due diligence, communicating with some free agents, also preparing for the Draft,” Tomlin said. “(GM) Omar (Khan) and I just got off on a nice tour here last week where we were at Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas, for example, our last three trips. I think all three of those institutions have quarterbacks that are draft-eligible, and so it’s been a good process for us.”
As for his preference on who the Steelers might add at the position and where that player might come from, Tomlin doesn’t have one.
One thing we do know is that the team will have a different quarterback room in 2025 than it had in 2024, which included Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen. And that quarterback room was completely different from the one the team fielded in 2023, though Rudolph was part of that group, leaving in free agency for a season with the Tennessee Titans before rejoining the Steelers this offseason.
“Oftentimes, I say ‘two is a pattern.’ It’s a cliche that I use in coaching, but I don’t know that I’m alarmed by that as it pertains to this discussion,” Tomlin said. “We’re just simply trying to put together the very best team that we can put together for 2025. Last year, we had a group in that room that were on one-year deals, and so the possibility of what we’re doing right now was a real thing. But that’s just one isolated scenario. If we’re having similar conversations next year at this time, it’s probably more of a discussion for us.”
In addition to Rudolph, the Steelers have brought one other veteran quarterback in for a visit – Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, who spent the last two seasons with the Jets, spent a day with the team recently, and Tomlin said there is no deadline on the 41-year-old future Pro Football Hall of Fame player making a decision regarding his plans for 2025 at this point.
“I really wanted to spend more of our time just getting to know him better, and things that he values as a player and a man, and what he might be looking for with his next stop,” Tomlin said. “I don’t know that we’ve approached it from a deadline perspective. Certainly, as I mentioned, you’d like to have settled circumstances, but deadlines can often bring that to a head.”
At this point, with the team still in the planning and acquisition phase for the 2025 season, the Steelers are keeping all avenues open in terms of adding players to the roster.
The Steelers have made a number of major acquisitions this offseason, the biggest being a trade of a second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Tomlin feels that addition will be a significant one to the team’s offense.
“DK is an awesome talent, one that we’re familiar with,” Tomlin said. “We’ve seen him some. But equally, he’s an awesome guy, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him, his relationship with the game, his approach to work.
“He’s going to be a big-time asset to us, not only in terms of the tangible things that he brings, but there’s an awesome intangible quality to him as a worker and as a man that’s equally as exciting.”
Some have suggested that Metcalf and incumbent No. 1 receiver George Pickens might offer some redundancies in their games. But Tomlin didn’t agree with that assessment.
“The strength of the pack is the pack, and when you have eligibles that are schematic problems for those that defend you, it creates more opportunity for all involved, and I think that’s probably the only lens through which I’ve looked at that to this point,” Tomlin said of having a pair of big-play, 1,000-yard receivers.
“I know as a guy who grew up on the defensive side of the ball, when you’ve got multiple people schematically that you’ve got to work to minimize, it really challenges you in terms of some of the things that you do. We see similar challenges within our division, for example, and so we’re excited about putting together a group that has that type of collective presence.”
Their presence should have a trickle-down effect on the running game, as well. Though the Steelers saw running back Najee Harris leave in free agency, Tomlin expressed great trust in Jaylen Warren and free agent signing Kenneth Gainwell to be major contributors in 2025.
He also said the NFL Draft, which will be held at the end of the month, has a number of interesting prospects available.
“(It’s a) uniquely deep draft at that position, and I’ve got an opportunity to kind of meet a lot of them and see some of them, whether it’s working in (Indianapolis) or at their pro day, there’s a lot of talent in that group,” Tomlin said. “And so it’s just really exciting there.”
It’s all part of the process for team building for the 2025 season.
Free agency is just one part of the equation. The draft is another.
And the Steelers will utilize both to the best of their ability in an effort to improve their roster.
“It’s our goal and job to build as strong of a team as we can for 2025, knowing that the challenges are going to be unique to 2025 and we’re working in that spirit,” Tomlin said.
