5 of the Steelers best moves during the 2021 NFL offseason
By Andrew Falce
The Steelers quarterback moves
Frankly, I could have spaced this out over three different pages, as the Steelers handled a tricky quarterback room perfectly this offseason. For starters, the team added a new, high-potential face in Dwayne Haskins to the roster. The former first-round pick has a cannon for an arm but needs to develop professionally if a team wants to count on him in any capacity. That said, getting a player with his upside for essentially nothing was a solid move.
Even trickier was the Ben Roethlisberger situation, as the elderly starter was originally slated to count roughly 41 million against the cap in 2021. Options varied from cutting him, to re-signing him, to just eating that cap hit for one last year. None of those options were ideal though, as each had a good deal of downside attached to it. Instead, the Steelers gave Roethlisberger a voidable deal and got him to take a pay decrease. No matter what you think about Roethlisberger heading into this season, the deal he took is beyond fair for a player of his caliber.
Finally, the extension the Steelers worked out with Mason Rudolph was the best move in this room during the offseason. While Rudolph has been far from dynamic, he showed a clear improvement in his lone start against the Browns last year. As well, he no is under contract through next year, and assuming Roethlisberger retires after next year, it gives the team a capable veteran option in 2021. The value was fair as well, as his deal falls in line with what a top backup typically gets paid.
This position was handled just about as well as it could have been all things considered. The franchise quarterback was retained on a very fair deal while two younger options will have the opportunity to stick past this season. Is the Steelers’ future franchise quarterback on this current roster? The odds are no, but the team did the best they could to field a competitive team this year while also giving them flexibility and options beyond 2021.