In “The Year of the Backup Quarterback”, there have been few QBs that have surprised football fans like Mason Rudolph.

After spending years on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bench following a disappointing start to his career, Rudolph has been great in 2 starts as he has revitalized the offense and gotten the Steelers back in the playoff hunt.

However, PFF analyst Brad Spielberger doesn’t believe that is the most important story in Pittsburgh right now. Instead, he believes the real story is the end of the Kenny Pickett era for the Steelers.

“The whole Rudolph situation is actually the fact that the Kenny era is over and they’ve decided that. They’ve moved on and they need to figure out what they’re gonna do for Week One, 2024,” Spielberger said while appearing on 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show on January 2nd.

Kenny Pickett to Play Backup in Week 18
The Steelers wasted no time making it clear who their starting quarterback would be against the Ravens in Week 18. Rudolph was named the starter shortly after leading the Steelers to a second consecutive win.

Rudolph completed 18 of 24 pass attempts for 274 yards in the win over the Seahawks to secure his spot as the starter for at least one more week.

Pickett was inactive for that game because he was cleared to play too late in the week. However, that will change in Week 18. During his media availability on January 2, Pickett revealed he will be Rudolph’s backup against Baltimore.

With Pickett slated to act as the backup, we’ve probably seen him take his last snaps of the season for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Options for the Future
However things play out with Pickett after this season is over, the Steelers’ QB situation is going to be one of the NFL’s biggest question marks during the offseason.

With the team currently still fighting for a playoff spot, they’ll end up picking in the middle of the first round of the upcoming draft. By the time they pick, the best options will be gone and the Steelers probably won’t be looking to force a QB selection after it didn’t work out with Pickett.

Maybe they’ll take a look at Michael Penix Jr. if he lights it up again in the national championship, but it seems more likely their 2024 starter will either come from free agency or their current roster.

The free agent market doesn’t look too promising for the upcoming offseason. The headliner in the class of free agents looks like it is going to be Russell Wilson.

He was benched by the Broncos in Week 17 and the team could decide to cut ties when the season ends.

If he becomes available, Wilson will likely get some attention from QB-needy teams and the Steelers could be one of them.

From there, the options become a lot less interesting. The other big name that will likely be available is Kirk Cousins.

His contract with the Vikings is expiring and he is coming off of a torn Achilles. That injury makes it unclear if he’ll be ready for the start of the 2024 season and raises questions about how it will impact his play going forward.

Aside from Baker Mayfield, who will likely re-sign with the Bucs, the rest of the options are backups who don’t appear to be players that would improve the QB play for the Steelers.

If this truly is the end of the Pickett era in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have their work cut out for them as they try to make sure their next era is more successful.