PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s the first year without their franchise quarterback. How did the Steelers do in comparison with other teams to prepare for life after a Hall of Famer?
Saying they had a first-round grade on Mason Rudolph, it appeared the Steelers were ready to have him take over. He got an earlier than expected opportunity in his second year due to Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury.
Rudolph would start eight games (5-3 record, 62% completion, 13 TD, 9 INT, 1765 yds. and an 82 rating), himself dealing with injury and the backlash of Myles Garrett bashing his head with his own helmet.
Roethlisberger hung on two more seasons with Rudolph starting two games over that time-one an encouraging performance in 2020 and then last year tying the Lions given one-day notice of starting.
Steelers also brought in a former first-round pick, Dwayne Haskins, to see if he could revive his career as he spent the season as the third-stringer in 2021. Then the free agent signing of another first-round reclamation project, Mitch Trubisky.
The options for the Steelers as we sit before the trade are those three. Here is a look at how teams did their first year after losing their franchise quarterback.
QB numbers starting with team record, completion percentage, yards, TD, INT, QB rating
New England Patriots
Tom Brady-final season
12-4, 60.8%, 4057 yards, 24 TD, 8 INT, 88 rating
Cam Newton-free agent
7-8, 65.8%, 2657 yards, 8 TD, 10 INT, 82.9 rating
Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning-final season
10-6, 66.3%, 4700 yards, 33 TD, 17 INT, 91.9 rating
*Manning was injured his final season, allowing the Colts to pick number 1 overall
Andrew Luck-rookie season
11-5, 54.1%, 4374 yards, 23 TD, 18 INT, 76.5 rating
Denver Broncos
John Elway-final season-Super Bowl champ
10-2, 59%, 2806 yards, 22 TD, 10 INT, 93 rating
Brian Griese-drafted in 3 rd round of Elway’s last season
4-9, 57.7%, 3032 yards, 14 TD, 14 INT, 75.6 rating
Miami Dolphins
Dan Marino-final season
5-6, 55.3%, 2448 yards, 12 TD, 17 INT, 67.4 rating
Jay Fiedler-free agent after Marino left
10-5, 57.1%, 2402 yards, 14 TD, 14 INT, 74.5 rating
New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees-final season
9-3, 70.5%, 2942 yards, 24 TD, 6 INT, 106.4 rating
Jameis Winston-starter, free agent the year prior
5-2, 59%, 1170 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT, 102.8 rating
Taysom Hill-signed as undrafted free agent 4 years before Brees retirement, signed for 4-years, $40 million
4-1, 58.2%, 978 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT, 75.4 rating
Dallas Cowboys
Troy Aikman-final season
4-7, 59.5%, 1632 yards, 7 TD, 14 INT, 64.3 rating
Quincey Carter-2 nd round after Aikman left
3-5, 51.1%, 1072 yards, 5 TD, 7 INT, 63 rating *during season opener, did return
Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf and Clint Stoerner combined 2-6 with 9 TD, 13 INT
Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre-final season
13-3, 66.5%, 4155 yards, 28 TD, 15 INT, 95.7 rating
Aaron Rodgers-1 st round pick who sat for 3 seasons
6-10, 63.6%, 4038 yards, 28 TD, 13 INT, 93.8 rating
Buffalo Bills
Jim Kelly-final season
8-5, 58.6%, 2810 yards, 14 TD, 19 INT, 73.2 rating
Todd Collins-2 nd round pick who played in 4 games in first 2 years
5-8, 55%, 2367 yards, 12 TD, 13 INT, 69.5 rating
New York Giants
Eli Manning-final season
1-3, 61.9%, 1042 yards, 6 TD, 5 INT, 82.6 rating
*started first two games lost both, replaced, returned to start weeks 13 and 14
Daniel Jones-1 st round pick (6 th overall) drafted in Manning’s final season
3-9, 61.9%, 3027, 24 TD, 12 INT, 87.7 rating
Arizona Cardinals
Kurt Warner-final season
10-5, 66.1%, 3753 yards, 26 TD, 14 INT, 93.2 rating
Derek Anderson-free agent after Warner left
2-7, 51.7%, 2065 yards, 7 TD, 10 INT, 65.9 rating
To total it, three teams out of the 10 mentioned had a winning record the year after losing a franchise quarterback. The numbers tell you it will be a bumpy ride for Steelers.
Can they beat the odds?