ClutchPoints
It was the same old story for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Despite making a big quarterback change in the offseason and another one in the middle of the season, the Steelers still flamed out late in the season and got crushed by the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Now, the Steelers have to go back to the drawing board as they continue trying to take that next step from a playoff team in the AFC into a true contender. This offseason, that starts with signing superstar pass rusher TJ Watt to a contract extension before he enters the final year of his deal in 2025. Steelers owner Art Rooney II shares that view and wants a deal to get done very soon, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
“That’s something we want to look at this offseason,” Rooney said, per DeFabo. “T.J. has been one of the foundations of the defense for quite a number of years now. And certainly hope we can have T.J. for the future, beyond this year.”
Watt didn’t have his usual stellar production this season, but he still finished with 11.5 sacks and was named Second Team All Pro. If the Steelers want to continue to have a very good defense that can carry them to wins while they find a franchise quarterback, keeping Watt around is a must.
The Steelers have been stuck in the middle of the pack in the AFC for many years now, and it’s become clear that a quarterback is the difference between them and some of the top teams in the conference. Mike Tomlin and an opportunistic defense have been enough for them to keep stringing together winning seasons and playoff appearances, but the fanbase is getting impatient with that.
The front office took a big swing this offseason by bringing in both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to compete for the starting job, but neither guy was ever able to fully seize control of the offense, Fields started the season while Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury before Wilson returned and took the reigns.
However, the Steelers offense was still a barely improved version of past Steelers offenses with Kenny Pickett at quarterback. Save from the occasional deep ball to George Pickens, this was not an explosive unit and it also wasn’t efficient enough top sustain long drives consistently.
It’s clear that Wilson and Fields are not the answer moving forward at the position, and it’s unclear whether the steelers have a realistic avenue to a better option this offseason. However, they will continue to be stuck in the same cycle over and over until they get a true difference maker under center.
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