5 Steelers players and coaches who won't return in 2024

3. Mike Sullivan, Quarterbacks Coach

Staying on the subject of quarterbacks, Mike Sullivan can go, too. Having been in his role as the team's quarterbacks coach since 2021, Sullivan hasn't done much to earn his keep. In his first year back in 2021, the Steelers finished as the league's 15th-ranked passing offense while Ben Roethlisberger played his final season with the team and played captain checkdown real well in the process.

Since drafting Kenny Pickett, Sullivan has clearly not had the impact the Steelers would have liked. If you look around the league at other young quarterbacks who have been developed, it's been their quarterbacks coaches who have gotten a lot of the credit. Brian Johnson and Alex Tanney in Philadelphia, Frank Smith and Chandler Henley in Miami, and of course Kyle Shanahan and Brian Griese in San Francisco.

Having a great quarterbacks coach is such an underrated privilege in today's league, and the Steelers need to find theirs. Not only that, but they need to find their next offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach pairing. That's what will truly be able to tell us if Pickett is the future or not. And if he isn't, then the new coaching staff will be great for the next franchise quarterback.