Owner Art Rooney II finds that the Steelers’ postseason drought of 16 games without a victory is unacceptable.
Rooney stated that although the company feels pressure to achieve more postseason success, he still thinks Head
Coach Mike Tomlin can lead Pittsburgh to another Super Bowl.
Rooney declared, “We’ve had enough of this,” according to ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor. “It’s time to get some wins; it’s
time to take these next steps.”
With 17 seasons without a losing season under his belt, Tomlin is the head coach with the longest stay in the league.
Rooney provided no update on contract talks with him.
Pittsburgh has lost four straight postseason games under Tomlin, including this year’s 31-17 loss to Buffalo in the
Wild Card round. Tomlin guided Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl triumph in 2008.
But Rooney made it plain that he still has faith in Tomlin.
“The players still respond to Mike, and that’s No. 1,” Rooney stated. “He still possesses the essential qualities we
observed in him upon hiring. He has the ability to hold a bunch of twentysomethings’ interest and keep them
competitive for the duration of the season.
“So, you’re still happy about Mike. It goes without saying that if I didn’t, [we] would make a change, but Mike is here
because we believe he can lead us to a title.
Over the course of the 2023 season, the Steelers struggled offensively and used three different starting quarterbacks:
Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and upcoming free agency Mason Rudolph. Going into the offseason, Pickett has
been declared the starting pitcher. Rooney thinks Pickett can help the Steelers win, but as he starts his third season,
he faces a crucial moment. “We still feel good about Kenny Pickett and his future, but he knows he needs to work
hard to take the next step,” Rooney stated. We have discussed it, and I believe that one of the things we appreciated
most about Kenny’s Pitt career was how hard he worked and how he improved every year. We therefore hope that
will occur here.”
After rupturing his ACL and MCL in Week 2, star running back Nick Chubb is still rehabbing from two knee
operations, and as he approaches the last year of his contract, his future with the team is still up in the air.
Chubb’s comeback timeline is still unknown, according to general manager Andrew Berry, and the team is still
considering its alternatives.
“With Nick, I can say for myself (and for) the organization (that) nobody wants to see that carry in Pittsburgh be the
last time he carries the ball for the Cleveland Browns,” Berry said on the team’s website. Of course, there are issues
that we’ll need to resolve, but that is not our goal. Of course, we’ll try to keep him on the squad.”
Entering his sixth season, 28-year-old Chubb is one of the team’s most regarded players. Berry claimed that Chubb
has made every effort to return as soon as possible.
“I probably came into this year, on a scale of one to 10 in terms of respect for Nick Chubb, it was a 10,” Berry stated.
“Probably coming out of this year, it’s now a 20.”
Jonah Williams, who successfully transitioned from left tackle to right tackle, is expected to be one of the most
sought-after offensive lineman in March’s free agency. Following his positional transition last year upon the signing
of Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. during free agency, Williams had an incredible season.
Williams recognized that he might be going on, even though he didn’t explicitly state that he wouldn’t re-sign with
the Bengals.
According to Williams, “I gave my all over the last five years,” as reported by Mark Inabinett of al.com. “Like I said, I
don’t know what the future has, but I’m proud of what we built here and appreciative of the opportunity.”
Duke Tobin, Director of Player Personnel, stated that Williams performed at right tackle as though he had always
been there.
“It was striking,” Tobin remarked. “He showed he’s versatile, which will play well over time with him.”
