The Pittsburgh Steelers need to improve their quarterback situation.
Despite subpar quarterback play, the Pittsburgh Steelers won 10 games during the 2023 NFL season. Someone like Kirk Cousins in 2024 may be a major boost to the franchise. Cousins turns 36 years old this offseason, so he is not getting any younger. However, the free agency quarterback may want to look at other options besides Minnesota, where he has played since 2018.
Cousins began his career with Washington, where he received two consecutive franchise tags. Following the 2017 NFL season, Cousins went on a free agent tour before signing a fully guaranteed contract with the Vikings. Cousins is about to enter free agency for the second time in his career.
And his greatest fit may not be back with the Vikings. While I believe Minnesota would prefer to have him return, the executive administration that brought him there is no longer in place, and I believe head coach Kevin O’Connell wants to give a young quarterback a chance at some time. He and his staff have shown to be excellent, so all that may be lacking is a young franchise passer.
Cousins will undoubtedly receive calls from several teams, but I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went 10-7 in 2023 with Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett playing the majority of the snaps, may be the most logical choice. That is a major testament to Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff’s efforts.
Bringing in Cousins for a year or two not only stabilizes their quarterback position, but also provides them some time to develop a long-term quarterback strategy, as neither Rudolph nor Pickett will be the team’s solution. Tomlin will eventually need to win another playoff game, right? The Steelers winning nine or ten games each year, barely making the playoffs, and failing to win in the Wild Card round has to come to a stop, right?
And I believe Tomlin, as a defensive head coach, would be interested in Kirk Cousins’ ability to operate the offense inside structure. Kirk Cousins is unlikely to lead a club to the Super Bowl, but he may be a good interim option for the Steelers for a few years.
