Let's get to it:
MARK KENT FROM SEATTLE, WA: As a native of Johnstown, Pa., in the 1970s, I saw that Terry Bradshaw had a special relationship with center Mike Webster while winning 4 Super Bowls. How would you compare the Bradshaw-Webster relationship with the one between Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey?
ANSWER: Both Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley always told stories of how after Terry Bradshaw called the play in the huddle – and Bradshaw called his own plays throughout his career – and the offense would come to the line of scrimmage, Mike Webster would look over the defensive alignment and often advise/instruct Bradshaw to audible into something else. That's how well Webster knew football, and Bradshaw's respect for him often was enough for him to take that advice. Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback through the entirety of Maurkice Pouncey's career with the Steelers, one that had him start all of the 134 games in which he played during his 10-year career, and the two of them often talked about retiring together. That didn't end up happening, with Pouncey retiring after the 2020 season and Roethlisberger retiring after the 2021 season, but there never was any evidence of anything but a strong professional and personal bond between the two.
- Download and listen to the Asked & Answered Podcast here: Apple Podcast | Spotify
KEVIN DREW FROM CHARLESTON, WV: How much was Mason Rudolph's 2-year contract worth?
ANSWER: Reports have the contract Mason Rudolph signed to be a 2-year deal worth a total of $8 million, with $4.5 million of that guaranteed.
THOMAS YOSHIZAWA FROM KAILUA KONA, HI: Would it be reasonable to trade George Pickens for a No. 2 or a No. 3 draft pick?
ANSWER: Understanding that I don't have a lot of the particulars associated with this issue, but I would be inclined to keep George Pickens for the 2025 season, which is the last on the rookie contract he signed after being a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The acquisition of D.K. Metcalf during free agency plus Pickens would give the Steelers the kind of 1-2 punch at the top of their depth chart at wide receiver they lacked throughout 2024, and that undoubtedly would be a step in the right direction for an offense that wasn't what it needed to be during that losing streak at the end of last season. And looking at this long-term, if Pickens puts together a great year and leaves as an unrestricted free agent in 2026, the Steelers would recoup something possibly significant in the form of a compensatory draft pick.
TRACY THOMPSON FROM WEST MIDDLESEX, PA: Can you please post the summer hours and the admission fee for the Steelers Hall of Honor Museum?
ANSWER: The Steelers Hall of Honor Museum is located above the Steelers Pro Shop at Acrisure Stadium and accessible via the Gate B suite entry. Fans can visit the Steelers Hall of Honor Museum year-round, Wednesday-Monday, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The Museum is closed on Tuesday, and dates and hours are subject to change without notice. The tour fee is as follows: adults - $18; seniors (62+)/military - $15; children (ages 6-17) - $12; and children ages 5 & under - free. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund. For more information on tours, group tours, and booking, visit Steelers.com/museum.
WILLIAM DOWDELL FROM COCOA BEACH, FL: From Sirius XM radio we heard the following from our offensive coordinator: "The best answer still to me (is) finding a way to come to terms with Aaron Rodgers," Todd Haley said. "I think Pittsburgh would be a perfect place for him from a perception standpoint and from a place to win. Rodgers is the best-case scenario." So how does it help for the offensive coordinator to come out and say that ahead of a contract being signed? This seems like another mis-step on the way to not finding a quarterback. Am I off base?
ANSWER: You are completely off base in one significant area: Todd Haley is not the Steelers offensive coordinator and hasn't held that job since the 2017 season.
WILLIAM PALAICH FROM CLERMONT, FL: With the options running out for signing a veteran quarterback, do you see merit in approaching Atlanta about a trade for Kirk Cousins? What do you see as the pros and cons of getting that deal done.
ANSWER: Sorry, but I see no pros to trading for Kirk Cousins.
MARK WITMER FROM GRANTVILLE, PA: Is it possible the Steelers pull off a trade for 49ers QB Brock Purdy? What are your thoughts on that idea? Is it nuts?
ANSWER: I would list that idea as being somewhere between wishful thinking and nuts. Why would the 49ers want to trade Brock Purdy? Why would the Steelers be interested in giving up the kind of draft capital that would be required to interest the 49ers to make such a trade? What if Purdy is a product of Kyle Shanahan's quarterback-friendly system and doesn't necessarily translate into a different offense with different personnel? As I warn fans often in this space – it's not a video game at the NFL level. It's not plug-and-play when it comes to moving players to different teams to play in different systems with different teammates.
SCOTT KUNST FROM OCEAN VIEW, DE: Is it true we have traded for Jared Goff, the quarterback from the Detroit Lions?
ANSWER: No. Where do people come up with this stuff?
MICHAEL ROBERTS FROM ELIZABETHTOWN, KY: What are your thoughts on giving the teams with the best records the homefield advantage in the playoffs, instead of awarding that only to division winners? If that happens shouldn't we just abolish divisions altogether?
ANSWER: Hate that idea and always have. Winning the division is not an insignificant accomplishment and deserves to be rewarded. It's also an issue of fairness for me, and this is what I mean: The winner of a division such as the AFC North might do so with a record of 11-6 because of the home-and-home series against the other three teams within that division, while a team from the AFC East might qualify as a Wild Card based on only having Buffalo to deal with and then maybe getting lucky with its out-of-division opponents coming from the AFC South and the NFC South, neither of which has had powerhouse teams of late. Games matching division opponents can become rivalry games, hard-hitting and intense battles, and the team that navigates those best over the course of a 17-week season and finishes atop its division as a result deserves a reward for doing that. In the NFL that reward means a home game in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs and then homefield advantage for the rest of the postseason in any games vs. Wild Card teams. I believe that's fair and warranted.
SUSAN BURKS FROM CRYSTAL LAKE, IL: Several times in recent editions of Asked and Answered, you have mentioned that Broderick Jones "had to play" right tackle because Dan Moore Jr. "couldn't." So why "couldn't" he? Also Moore had a pretty good run with the Steelers for 4 years, and I was sorry to see him go to the Titans. Was it the money?
ANSWER: Some offensive tackles are capable of playing on either end of the line of scrimmage – Tunch Ilkin was an example of that – but Moore isn't. But being strictly a left tackle in the NFL is a lucrative career choice, because Moore signed a 4-year contract with the Tennessee Titans worth $82 million with $50 million in total guarantees. Moore received $42.51 million fully guaranteed, including a $25.5 million signing bonus.
HAROLD BARBER FROM GERMANTOWN, MD: Do the Steelers have a quarterbacks coach?
ANSWER: Yes. His name is Tom Arth, and this is the bio of him that appears on Steelers.com: "Tom Arth comes to Pittsburgh from the L.A. Chargers where he served as passing game specialist (2022-23). In his two seasons with the Chargers, Arth was part of a staff that coached the offense to rank fifth in passing offense (251.2 yards per game) and No. 11 in total offense (344.3 yards per game) over his tenure. He helped QB Justin Herbert continue to set records, as no player has more completions (1,613) or passing yards (18,134) over the first four seasons of a career. Herbert's 114 passing TDs and 125 total TDs rank second in NFL history – only Dan Marino (142) and Josh Allen (135) registered more, respectively, over their first four seasons in the NFL. Arth also brings nine years of collegiate head coaching experience and three seasons of NFL playing experience to the offensive staff. He spent three years (2019-21) as the head coach at the University of Akron following two seasons (2017-18) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The first four years of Arth's nine-year run as a collegiate head coach were spent at the helm of his alma mater, John Carroll University (2013-16).
KEITH MILLER FROM CANTON, NC: What is the status of unrestricted free agents Calvin Anderson, C.J. Henderson, Damontae Kazee, Tyler Matakevich, MyCole Pruitt, Max Scharping, and Cam Sutton?
ANSWER: OT Calvin Anderson, CB C.J. Henderson, SS Damontae Kazee, ILB Tyler Matakevich, FB MyCole Pruitt, G Max Scharping, and DB Cam Sutton are still unsigned and available to any team interested in them at any price a team might be willing to pay.
