Steelers president Art Rooney II wants to see 'quality play' out of QBs, Kenny Pickett in 2024

Art Rooney II is open to Kenny Pickett getting another shot to be the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers team president also is open to the organization bringing back Mason Rudolph provided he can be coaxed out of leaving in free agency.

What Rooney isn’t open to is another season of stagnant play from whoever wins the position in training camp.

“We need to do everything we can to make sure we get quality play out of our quarterback position going forward,” Rooney said Monday during a 20-minute interview session.

That didn’t happen last year until late in the 2023 season when Rudolph, mired in the third spot on the depth chart, led the Steelers to a three-game winning streak that helped them return to the AFC playoffs.

Pickett started the first 12 games but threw just six touchdown passes in 324 attempts and had an 81.4 passer rating when he suffered an ankle injury in early December. After Mitch Trubisky struggled in relief during a three-game losing streak, coach Mike Tomlin finally turned to Rudolph, who threw three touchdown passes, no interceptions and had a 118.0 rating down the stretch.

“We still feel good about Kenny Pickett and his future,” Rooney said. “He knows he needs to work hard to take the next step, and we’ve talked about that.”

Tomlin already has stated that Pickett will be the starting quarterback once training camp begins but will be challenged to retain his job. The Steelers would like to add Rudolph to the mix if they can re-sign him to another contract.

“One of the things we liked about Kenny in terms of his career at Pitt was how hard he worked,” Rooney said. “He took a step every year. We’re looking for that to happen here.”

As for Rudolph?

“Mason showed what we were capable of when we do get quality play at the quarterback position,” Rooney said. “We appreciate what Mason did, and we’re interested in bringing Mason back.”

The Steelers invested a first-round pick in Pickett two years ago, and Tomlin acknowledged that the 2024 season is a “huge” year in the quarterback’s development.

Rooney agreed.

“The things we always liked were his toughness, his competitiveness, his desire to be a winner,” Rooney said. “He has all those intangibles. What I think we need him to be is to continue to develop as a quarterback, read a defense quickly, get the offense into the best play for a given situation when he comes out of the huddle.”

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The Steelers are continuing to interview candidates for the vacant offensive coordinator’s position. The focus will be on designing a system that benefits Pickett and perhaps Rudolph. Rooney, Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan already have interviewed former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith, former Carolina offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and Houston quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson.

Rooney said the final decision on the hire will be Tomlin’s.

“It would be a mistake for me to try to screw up the lines of authority,” he said.

Rooney wants the team to find someone capable of getting more out of Pickett.

“Obviously, he does need to take another step, and that is an important component of the next coordinator, making sure he helps Kenny take the next step,” he said. “We still feel comfortable with Kenny, but with that being said, you can’t discount what Mason did. You can’t discount that having competition will be good for everybody.”

Other items Rooney discussed:

• The Steelers are in the process of conducting a stadium assessment to determine the long-term viability of Acrisure Stadium. The team’s lease expires in 2030.

“We’re looking at what it will take to be in the stadium the next 10-20 years, whatever it’s going to be,” he said. “We’ve hired consultants to look at it. We like the stadium. We think it’s a great facility. With the right kinds of improvements, it can continue to be our home for a long time.”

• The Steelers are “deep in the process” of submitting their bid to bring the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft to Pittsburgh. “We are optimistic to be able to bring it here in the not-too-distant future,” he said. The 2024 draft will be held in Detroit. The 2025 draft is set to be in Green Bay, Wisc.

• He said it’s not “fair” to discuss the future of defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who has one year left on his contract that carries a $16 million salary and $22.4 million cap hit. “We want Cam on our team this year and maybe going forward,” he said. “He’s as solid an individual in the locker room as you would want.”