Tomlin 'excited' about Steelers' QB search: All options on table

Head coach Mike Tomlin is looking forward to finding the Pittsburgh Steelers' next franchise quarterback to succeed Ben Roethlisberger.

"I'm excited about that challenge," Tomlin told reporters Tuesday. "Those of us that are competitors are. It's a challenge. It makes you uneasy."

Roethlisberger has led the Steelers over the last 18 seasons, but Tomlin said that the organization is proceeding with the assumption that the quarterback won't be playing in 2022.

Tomlin said that backup quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job but added that "all options are on the table" in terms of adding a veteran or rookie passer to the mix.

The head coach also denied that he preferred to acquire an everyday starter at quarterback rather than start fresh with a rookie.

"I have not expressed that," Tomlin said. "As I've mentioned, I think it's proven and appropriate to be open to all of the above."

He added: "There's two core ways you improve your team, as I've acknowledged, and that's quarterback position or any position, or the totality of all the positions. You have to weigh what's available to you in the free-agent market and the cost of acquiring it versus what's available to you in the draft."

It was previously reported that the Steelers are unlikely to pursue a top quarterback in the trade market and would rather rely on a competition between Rudolph and Haskins in addition to possibly drafting a quarterback.

The Steelers secured the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.