When Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season, he left behind a massive void in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room. For the last two decades, Big Ben had been the face of Pittsburgh’s football culture, leading the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins while remaining as reliable as ever in the center.
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Understandably, the Steelers have yet to deal with his departure, considering they have cycled through five different quarterbacks since then. The last two seasons have seen the Steelers rotate through Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Things are disruptively unstable compared to the days of Roethlisberger.
This constant shuffle has left fans and even analysts like Kay Adams frustrated. In the latest episode of Up & Adams, Kay didn’t hold back from calling out the Steelers management for running a merry-go-round in their QB1 position.
Adams acknowledged that Mike Tomlin’s efforts to ensure regular postseason appearances have prevented the Steelers from getting opportunities at the Draft. However, a storied franchise like the Steelers failing to lock down a pivotal position as QB for this long is disheartening for her.
“This is a storied franchise. A Tiffany franchise. They have to get back there,” said Adams.
“I know it’s not easy when you’re always winning, despite the quarterback issues, and constantly picking in the 20s — it’s hard to grab that stud. But they can’t allow this quarterback storyline to go on much longer. I’m sick of it. I don’t know what the answer is, but as usual, the quarterbacks are headlining everything,” she added.
What would be Pittsburgh’s next move? As per the latest rumors, the Steelers aren’t keen on retaining either Wilson or Fields despite making the playoffs last season. This is a pivotal decision with a lot at stake.
On one hand, their fanbase is backing Fields as their next QB1 due to the massive potential the 25-year-old brings to the table. Ex-NFL stars like Tim Hasselbeck, meanwhile, believe that Tomlin should stick with Wilson for one more year, considering he immediately replaced Fields as the starter after returning from injury.
Hasselbeck wants the Steelers to stick with their decision from last season to ensure continuity. These are two contrasting schools of thought.
It becomes even more confusing when we compare the two QBs statistically. As far as QB ratings are concerned, both Wilson and Fields are right next to each other with 95.6 and 93.3 respectively.
The status remains the same in completion percentage as well with Fields’ 65.8% slightly higher than Wilson’s 63.7%. With the fundamentals being so similar, the decision for the Steelers truly depends on the intangibles.
Adams, meanwhile, provided an interesting suggestion: Sign a QB from Roethlisberger’s generation. Someone like Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford. This is a valid point considering the weak QB draft class this year.
Regardless, the Steelers must decide at the earliest. Is Wilson or Fields good enough to lead them to a Super Bowl, or is it time to go all-in on a new franchise quarterback?
For fans who grew up watching Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ current situation must be hard to digest. Pittsburgh definitely cannot afford to get this decision wrong.
