This season is presumed to be the last of Ben Roethlisberger’s career — a daunting prospect considering Roethlisberger has been the lifeblood of the Steelers for the past 17 seasons, and there appears to be no plan for a long-term successor.
Internally, president Art Rooney II, general manager Kevin Colbert, and head coach Mike Tomlin cannot seriously look at Mason Rudolph as the heir to the quarterback throne.
Rudolph was served that opportunity on a silver platter in 2019 — he had chances to prove he was worthy of being the legit next in line. But inconsistency — among other things — reared its ugly head.
Can Rudolph improve? Sure. With proper development and mindset, he could be a decent quarterback; he just doesn’t have the talent that Terry Bradshaw or Big Ben has.
In all fairness, Rudolph’s sample size is nine starts in 15 games; hardly enough to predict the future of a career. But in those games, he’s been far from convincing that he can carry the Steelers franchise for the next 10-plus seasons.
For 2022, however, it appears the job is Rudolph’s to lose. Not only is he the only quarterback under contract for the 2022 season (Roethlisberger’s future years are voidable), but anyone else brought in next offseason will lack the team experience to start immediately.
In June, Rudolph was quoted as saying that it’s his goal “to be a starting quarterback in this league, and for my team.”
It’s good to have goals, and while Rudolph may wind up starting for the Steelers in 2022, the future isn’t long-term.
Based on what Rudolph has shown thus far in his 15-game career, here’s why he’ll never be a franchise quarterback for the Steelers or anywhere else.