Following yet another disheartening playoff loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers are getting set to begin their 2024. Despite somehow managing to earn a respectable 10-7 record during the 2023 season, Mike Tomlin's team had a negative point differential and was average at best on paper.
Tomlin expressed shortly after the postseason loss against the Bills that he plans to return to coach the Steelers in 2024, and he could even be getting a contract extension soon. This obviously takes a change at head coach off the table this year. But that doesn't mean that Pittsburgh won't make any moves.
This team has been complacent for far too long, and team president Art Rooney II has to be getting impatient at this point. Here are four bold predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2024 offseason.
1. Steelers trade for QB Geno Smith
There are whispers that the Seattle Seahawks could be looking to find a more permanent fix at the quarterback position and transition away from Geno Smith. If this is true, the Steelers could come calling. At 33 years old, Geno obviously isn't going to be a long-term franchise QB in Pittsburgh, but he could be just what they need to give them a shot to compete in the playoffs over the next few years.
Smith is coming off the highest-graded season of his NFL career. Over the past three seasons, he has managed a passer rating of over 100 twice while throwing for a minimum of 7.3 yards per attempt. You have to go back years to see numbers like this from a Steelers quarterback. In fact, Ben Roethlisberger only managed a passer rating of 100 or better three times in his 18-year career (the most recent coming a decade ago in 2014).
The Steelers already have some aging key players on their roster. Cameron Heyward turns 35 years old this offseason, while T.J. Watt will turn 30 early in the season. This makes Geno's age irrelevant. In a few years, this team could hit the reset button.
For now, however, there is no question that Geno Smith would be an immediate upgrade over Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph (the latter of whom is not under contract). If the Seahawks are looking to move on, the Steelers could get their starting quarterback who could help get them out of this slump.