The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed like they were finished, and perhaps Mike Tomlin’s tenure as Steelers coach finally would be too.
Pittsburgh lost consecutive home games in Weeks 13 and 14 to the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, a pair of 4-13 teams. Then they had a listless 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. They were 7-7, their odds to make the playoffs were less than 10% in some models and less than 5% in others, and they were turning to Mason Rudolph at quarterback.
The lesson in what happened next is that Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons simply won’t die.
The Steelers rallied to win three in a row and made the playoffs. It’s remarkable (and also repeated a million times) that Tomlin has been Steelers coach for 17 years and still hasn’t had a losing season. He got a three-year contract extension this offseason.
While that was a fun rally, it’s also worth wondering if there’s another level for the Steelers or if barely making the playoffs just keeps them on the merry-go-round of being slightly above average every season. Tomlin has a surprising amount of critics, and they’ll quickly point out that Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since the end of the 2016 season. The Steelers lost 31-17 to the Buffalo Bills in a wild-card playoff game last season and it was obvious there is a sizable gap between the Steelers and the AFC’s best teams. The Steelers didn’t really seem like a playoff-worthy team, and a fortunate 9-2 record in one-score games did most of the heavy lifting to get them to the postseason.
Being in the middle means there are no easy solutions at quarterback. They tried Kenny Pickett, the 20th overall draft pick in a weak 2022 quarterback class, and he is gone two years later. Their solutions this offseason were creative — they signed Russell Wilson to a one-year, $1.2 million deal as the Denver Broncos pick up the other $37.8 million of his salary, and Pittsburgh also traded a sixth-round pick for Justin Fields — but it’s hard to buy either quarterback as a permanent solution. Steelers fans want more than sneaking into the playoffs and then getting blown out, as they’ve done two of the past three seasons. It’s hard to see a higher ceiling than that with the current roster.
The Steelers will look familiar this season, even with the change at quarterback. Tomlin will get the most out of his team. The defense, led by T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, should be excellent again. The offense, suddenly short on receivers after trading Diontae Johnson, will run it a lot with hopefully average quarterback play from Wilson or perhaps Fields at some point. The Steelers will find ways to win close games and be in the playoff hunt into December. That’s not bad, but it’s not exciting anymore either.
Tomlin has some quirky catchphrases, and one that has endured is “The standard is the standard.” After multiple seasons of being nowhere near Super Bowl contention and a lot of long-term questions at quarterback, Steelers fans have to be wondering what the standard is anymore.
Offseason grade
It’s OK to praise the Steelers’ moves at quarterback and still question if they’ve found a long-term answer. Russell Wilson cost practically nothing; you have special teams players across the NFL making more than $1.2 million a year. Wilson mostly struggled with the Broncos but wasn’t terrible last season and does have nine Pro Bowls to his name. Justin Fields was a low-cost gamble. The Steelers traded a sixth-round pick in 2025 that could conditionally become a fourth for Fields, a former first-round pick that flashed tantalizing upside in three seasons as the Bears’ starter. It’s hard to be critical of either move, given the low cost involved.
The Steelers trading receiver Diontae Johnson to the Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson leaves a hole on the offense that wasn’t adequately filled. When Kenny Pickett reportedly had a tantrum over the Wilson addition, the Steelers traded him and a fourth-round pick to the Eagles for a third-round pick in 2024 and a pair of 2025 seventh-round picks. The big addition for the Steelers in free agency was linebacker Patrick Queen, who will help a defense that is coming off a good season. The Steelers’ draft was universally praised. They drafted offensive tackle Troy Fautanu 20th overall, then followed that up with center Zach Frazier, receiver Roman Wilson and linebacker Payton Wilson. The latter is a third-round pick out of N.C. State who’s especially interesting because he’s a big-time talent who fell due to durability concerns. The Steelers got the highest consensus grade for their draft class, which is a bit silly considering the Bears drafted Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, but the Steelers had a good draft in which they remade their offensive line and added other intriguing pieces.
Quarterback report
When the Steelers signed Russell Wilson for a minimum contract, they couldn’t have known the offseason would lead them to trading a late pick for Justin Fields. But the team sent off Kenny Pickett and made the move for Fields, making for an interesting quarterback situation.
Wilson will turn 36 years old in November and is on just a one-year deal. Fields, only 25 years old, presents a much better option for the future. But through the summer there wasn’t much positive buzz for Fields from Steelers OTAs, and it appeared Wilson maintained his hold on the starting job.
Both quarterbacks are flawed. Wilson was horrible in 2022 and while better in 2023, there’s a reason the Broncos took on an $85 million dead cap hit just to be rid of him. Fields is electric as a runner and had some great highlights as a passer, but he lacks consistent accuracy and holds the ball too long. If there was more faith in him developing as a passer, the Bears would have gotten more when they traded him. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Fields starts at some point this season, just because he offers the potential to be the Steelers’ long-term quarterback solution. There should be no realistic hope that Wilson is the Steelers’ quarterback three or four years down the road. But Fields would have to earn that opportunity, unless Wilson completely flops and forces a change. The Steelers would be pleased to get above-average quarterback play this season, regardless of who it comes from.