Mike Tomlin's far from flawless as a head coach, but he's as in-touch with the Steelers' in-house sentiment as any coach/manager I've ever covered, constantly strolling through the locker room to communicate with players, sometimes for fun, sometimes for more.
So yeah, he knows.
He knows how strongly some members of his offense feel about wanting Mason Rudolph to stay on as starting quarterback in 2024 or, at the very least, for him to have a fair opportunity to -- again -- out-perform Kenny Pickett and win the competition that Tomlin acknowledged yesterday they'll have planned. Presuming, of course, that Rudolph, a pending free agent, signs a contract to stay.
And I'm not just talking about Diontae Johnson, the first to go public with that in-house sentiment Tuesday in telling reporters, "Hopefully, he gets the job next year."
No, I'm talking about several guys. Pivotal pieces. And these are only the ones I know of.
It'd be beyond stretching it to characterize this in any over-the-top way, so I feel the need to stress that we aren't exactly talking about some broader rebellion. But this was a week in which players had the opportunity in formal interviews to express themselves candidly to Tomlin and the coaches -- an approach Tomlin's always welcomed -- and I've heard of several who supported Rudolph in their sessions.
Also and related, all of these individuals knew what Johnson meant with his public remarks, in addition to his follow-up shrug emoji on X the following night indicating his indifference to any blowback he might get for taking a side:
🤷🏾♂️
— Diontae Johnson (@Juiceup__3) January 17, 2024
What does any of it mean?
Well, that's obviously going to be far more challenging to gauge, since all of the most meaningful actions will occur in the future.
To wit: Tomlin's set up competitions in the past -- even called them that -- only to allow them to transparently play out as nothing of the kind. All he'd actually hoped to achieve was to motivate everyone a little extra and enhance his depth at a particular position. He knew the winner before the race, and he went through the figurative motions from there.
Tomlin loves Pickett. That's not Insider material, trust me. He wears it openly, makes it known in every setting. I could elaborate on that, or I could simply point to the Steelers just having suited up for an NFL playoff game with their selected starter -- on merit -- being embarrassingly slotted at No. 2 on the official, submitted-to-the-league depth chart. Or with how he'll glow about Pickett while assessing Rudolph with pedestrian praise like "nice job" after he'd been nothing less than the league's premier quarterback over the regular season's final three weeks.
And yet ...
Listen, let's take a deep breath and delve deeply into what's there. This issue's too important to the future of the franchise, which is why I've been pretty much fixated on it these past few weeks. It's more important, as I see it, than anything else Tomlin answered in his extraordinary end-of-season press conference yesterday, and it should be addressed accordingly.
First, I'll attempt to piece together his various statements yesterday on the quarterbacks, introduced by an accurate representation of the question asked:
• On whether Pickett will reclaim QB1 status: "You know, he will, but obviously, there will be competition. There's always competition in this thing. We don't anoint anyone. Man, 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."
He waited only a handful of words to include that "but" in there.
• On whether it's the team's hope that Rudolph will be back and provide that competition: "It is, but he's a free agent. And so, we'll see where that leads us."
Another pivotal "but," in that the Steelers have no right to declare anything about Rudolph unless/until he's signed. Also, almost anytime Tomlin's ever referenced keeping or extending a player in a context like this, they end up sticking around.
• On Johnson publicly calling for Rudolph to start and whether he worries that a competition scenario might divide his locker room: "I do not. I think competition is good. I think it's good for all of us. I think it brings out the best in all of us."
That's Tomlin being brutally honest. Seemed to be a ton of that in these 33 minutes.
• On whether Rudolph's performance changed his perception of Rudolph and what Rudolph might be capable of doing: "Oh, certainly. I don't think that any of us can deny what we've seen over the last month or so. I cannot underscore how impressive it is to be ready. Forget performance, man. Just to be ready, to deliver ... and he was. And that preparedness showed. And so, certainly. You know we're less speculative about his capabilities because there's evidence of it. And evidence of it in tough circumstances."
The money quote of the whole affair. No more "nice job" or "hot hand."
• On whether leaving Rudolph on the third string for two straight years might prompt management to reassess its evaluation methods: "No. Oftentimes, I say there's a fine line between being a Pro Bowler and a backup in our business, and it is. And so, you know, I'm not surprised by anything that has transpired, man. He is very capable. They all are, across positions. I just think that when you're at the tip-top of the food chain, that's how it is. And it's our job as professionals, man, to be ready and to let our talent show. He did those things."
Ha! All I've got on this one!
• On his confidence level in Pickett, including his captaincy and leadership: "I'm extremely confident in him. I feel stronger about some of the intangible things than I did when we first started doing business with him, because I have evidence of it. He's highly competitive and professional. He doesn't run from challenges. He runs to challenges. I think that's evident in the way he plays, particularly at the end of close football games. He's got a good framework to work with and, for a young guy, he's mature beyond his years. I'm excited about him."
There's no doubt he is. This admiration and attachment's as authentic as it gets in this atmosphere.
By the way, Pickett's 25 years old, and Rudolph's 28.
• On whether Pickett's at the stage of his career where he needs to show tangible improvement: "Certainly, it's a big year for him. We met this morning, and we acknowledged that. It is a huuuuuuuuge year for him. But I'm also excited about just watching him wear that component of it because I know how he's wired and built, and I'm excited about watching him attack it."
Pickett's made 24 NFL starts, Rudolph 14 including this playoff.
• On whether the Steelers' starting quarterback for 2024 is currently on the roster: "Yes."
This was ... wow. And hesitation-free, too. Which stunned me mostly because it suggests, very obviously, that one of these two quarterbacks will be the one. Which, in turn, suggests that the Steelers are feeling mighty confident in keeping Rudolph. And that they're not prioritizing finding some other veteran to partake in this process.
Saw some of this coming a mile away. Not that.
But hey, that's all of the relevant material, and what I get when ramming it together is this cumulative for-fun-only theory: Tomlin, to reiterate, loves Pickett. He'd love to see Pickett succeed. But he recognizes that might not happen after 24 starts of precious little, just as he recognizes he might've been remiss in burying Rudolph prematurely, just as he recognizes that what he witnessed from Rudolph to conclude this season might've been real enough that it can't be discarded, best evidenced by that other striking line: "I don't think that any of us can deny what we've seen over the last month or so."
Extrapolating further, that motivates the Steelers to sign Rudolph to term/pay most teams wouldn't invest in a possible backup because they're still not paying Pickett, and they'll soon save a bundle by releasing Mitch Trubisky. Tomlin gets to do right by Pickett in not crushing his career in the aftermath of an injury. Pickett gets a final chance to validate his draft position and his head coach's faith. And Rudolph enters the spring/summer with at least the framework of a fair competition and, at long last, an NFL starting role.
He and Pickett have at it, and it goes where it goes.
But what might be most fascinating, to rewind back to the top of this column, is how those same offensive players react/respond to any and all of it. Because these are the people who hear Tomlin emphasizing nonstop the critical element of showing up "in stadiums." Nothing that they'll see on the friendly fields of Saint Vincent College will rival what they -- and Rudolph -- just experienced over this past month. And they'll be aware of that then, same as they are in discussing that now.
Heck, they might've already exerted a modicum of influence.
What an offseason this'll be, huh?
