The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 campaign ended just three days ago, but head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t waste any time in publicly outlining the team’s plans at QB for next season.
Per Amanda Godsey of the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, Tomlin told reporters on Thursday that Kenny Pickett will remain the No. 1 quarterback next year, but that the Steelers will be adding “competition” at the position.
“He will but obviously there will be competition. There’s always competition in this thing. We don’t anoint anyone. I’m appreciative of his efforts and where he is and excited about continuing to work with him. But certainly he will be challenged from a competition perspective moving forward. Competition brings the best out in all of us.”
Pickett started 12 games for the Steelers but was sidelined with an ankle injury that he suffered in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals. Mitch Trubisky started the next two games but lost his starting job to Mason Rudolph for Week 16.
Rudolph led the Steelers to three straight wins to close out the regular season. A stunning Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 18 road loss to the Tennessee Titans allowed Pittsburgh to sneak in as the final wild card team in the AFC, where they were ousted by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Before his ankle injury, Pickett struggled to show much improvement from his rookie year. He finished 2023 with a 62.0 completion percentage for just 2,070 yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions.
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Trubisky is under contract through 2025, though there’s a good chance the Steelers will cut or trade him this offseason. The 28-year-old Rudolph is a pending free agent, though his strong showing this year could very well lead to a contract extension.
