Mason and the mythical rise of his career

[feltdizz]

Do you really believe the NFL is looking at Mason as an option for a starting gig in 2024?

Do you really think he is going to get a nice offer?

Why? Because he beat Cincinnati and Seattle? Because he beat the Ravens backups?

Sure, WE rate his performance high because we were desperate for wins. WE rate his performance high because Mitch sucked and Kenny and Canada were not good in 2023.

But how many FOs besides the Steelers are really looking at Mason and cant wait to add him to their QB room based on those 4 games? Can he get Heineke type interest? Maybe

I think his offers are minimal and I would not be surprised if he doesnt get any serious offers at all.

Where can this man go at have a chance to start? Patriots or Giants if they sit their new rookie to learn for half a year? I truly believe fans have created this buzz that doesn?t exist outside of Pittsburgh.

[Oviedo]

Not sure I would call it a mythical rise. It is more a situational rise because Pickett was so inconsistent and unreliable mason's performance just seemed to be the stuff of legends.

I think the fascinating dynamic in all this is how the team rallied around Mason in a way we didn't see with KP

Who cares about buzz outside of Pittsburgh. We play the cards in our hand

[Eich]

I agree. I don't think Mason was all that noteworthy. He played much the same as Kenny did against the Bungles, post-Canada. But we scored more points. Mason played well as a backup coming off the bench. It just stood out more because he came in for Mitch, who stunk up the joint and then Mason got us a few wins that backed us into the playoffs. And he certainly didn't embarrass himself in that playoff game. So, kudos to Mason but he didn't exactly set the world on fire with his play.

I don't think he's getting any significant offers outside of Pittsburgh.

I'm still hopeful that Kenny's ceiling is higher. But my gut says that we haven't found our next franchise QB yet.

[T.Ferguson]

I don't think it's about any rise, he played well in a few games and the NFL is in kind of a bad situation QB wise. Lot of teams need a QB or backup/bridge QB. I think MR could be really attractive to a number of teams given his age and experience now.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Do you really believe the NFL is looking at Mason as an option for a starting gig in 2024?

Do you really think he is going to get a nice offer?

I think that the best he can hope for is an increase to his salary on maybe a 2 year deal (around $10M per) to come in as a backup. The best situation would be as a backup to a lower end or questionable QB - perhaps with an injury history.

One place where he gets this opportunity is in Pittsburgh, and the kicker here for him is that he likely already believes that he can beat out KP in an open competition. High end athletes typically have extreme confidence in their own abilities, and he has seen the competition up close. I believe that Mason returns and would not be surprised if at some point he surpasses Kenny on the depth chart.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Will he get a Dak contract? No.

Will someone offer a Mitch contract? Yes.

Regardless, he would be a fool to sign with the Steelers before he knew what was out there.

Honestly, i might prefer Tannehill over him anyway.

He has run smiths system and could be a good knowledge base for executing the plays.

[Chucktownsteeler]

I think he may gets some notice from Atlanta, with his buddy taking over OC there. If Cousins leaves the Vikes he may also spark a little interest. He could potentially be deadly with their WR stable.

Other than that who knows? He came in pretty cold and put back to back 30 plus point games and went 18/ 20 (franchise record) in a monsoon.

If Pickens doesn't fumble the Bills game is more interesting.

[Northern_Blitz]

Lots in here to agree with.

Mason is not a turn key starter. I think his offers top out somewhere around what Mitch got after Buffalo. Maybe not even that because there are a fair number of similar guys available this year.

He's a journeyman type that no one wanted last season.

But he had some good games on a team who's O was terrible before he played.

So he'll be seen as an option for a backup that can start if you need someone to hold the fort or transition to a new QB.

Now do Kenny. The QB that lost his position because he wasn't as good as Mason.

The point isn't that Mason is good. It's that the team showed they though he was objectively better than Kenny.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I don't think it's about any rise, he played well in a few games and the NFL is in kind of a bad situation QB wise. Lot of teams need a QB or backup/bridge QB. I think MR could be really attractive to a number of teams given his age and experience now.

This.

His rise was to the Tyrod Taylor group of QBs who are bridges and stopgaps until your young draftee is ready. Much like the Steelers attempted to do with Tribusky

[feltdizz]

Lots in here to agree with.

Mason is not a turn key starter. I think his offers top out somewhere around what Mitch got after Buffalo. Maybe not even that because there are a fair number of similar guys available this year.

He's a journeyman type that no one wanted last season.

But he had some good games on a team who's O was terrible before he played.

So he'll be seen as an option for a backup that can start if you need someone to hold the fort or transition to a new QB.

Now do Kenny. The QB that lost his position because he wasn't as good as Mason.

The point isn't that Mason is good. It's that the team showed they though he was objectively better than Kenny.

No need to do Kenny in here. He is here on a rookie deal. Mason is the one headed to FA.

This is just about Mason and the reality of where he can go and how much he can get once you step back and look at the landscape of the NFL.

Someone said Atlanta. Minnesota could be a nice landing spot but I also think after last year signing Cousins to a short deal makes more sense for them.

[feltdizz]

Not sure I would call it a mythical rise. It is more a situational rise because Pickett was so inconsistent and unreliable mason's performance just seemed to be the stuff of legends.

I think the fascinating dynamic in all this is how the team rallied around Mason in a way we didn't see with KP

Who cares about buzz outside of Pittsburgh. We play the cards in our hand

I don’t think any other franchise gives a damn about the team “rallying” around a backup for a few games.

Not trying to be harsh I just think that is part of the “mythical” rise I’m talking about.

[feltdizz]

This.

His rise was to the Tyrod Taylor group of QBs who are bridges and stopgaps until your young draftee is ready. Much like the Steelers attempted to do with Tribusky

Agreed. I made this post because I keep hearing about how we need lock up Mason before he hits FA and my question is why?

What do folks really think Mason is going to get in FA when you look around the league AND look at all the QB?s in this draft.

He may get a Tyrod deal where he gets a few games as a bridge QB if he is lucky. O don?t think the market is there like some do based off thees 4 games.

I was actually shocked no one scooped him up last year.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

Do you really believe the NFL is looking at Mason as an option for a starting gig in 2024?

Do you really think he is going to get a nice offer?

Why? Because he beat Cincinnati and Seattle? Because he beat the Ravens backups?

Sure, WE rate his performance high because we were desperate for wins. WE rate his performance high because Mitch sucked and Kenny and Canada were not good in 2023.

But how many FOs besides the Steelers are really looking at Mason and cant wait to add him to their QB room based on those 4 games? Can he get Heineke type interest? Maybe

I think his offers are minimal and I would not be surprised if he doesnt get any serious offers at all.

Where can this man go at have a chance to start? Patriots or Giants if they sit their new rookie to learn for half a year? I truly believe fans have created this buzz that doesn?t exist outside of Pittsburgh.

Good questions. My answers.

1 . Yes I believe the Steelers are looking at Mason for the staring job in 2024

2. Yes, but if we offer a 2 year deal with a third year option ( 40 million for two years ) this should be enough to keep him. Mason is likely to stay as no other offense will feature as good as skill players as he has on the Steelers. Unless an insane offer of 30M+ a year comes his way, we should be able to keep him. I doubt 8 million a year will be his best offer!

3. Yes, he started 4 games vs. a 9-8, 9-8, 13-4 and 11-6 teams. The Quality of competition was good, better than what others have had in the past two years and 3 of 4 games where on the road. His QBR, total yards thrown, and scoring with the offense was very good. He didn't play an MVP level, but his value to the team should not be understated.

4. I prefer to look at it this. How much better will Mason be when he has OC and has a full camp as the QB1.

[NorthCoast]

If MR is not a starter, but MR played as well as KP (better?), does that mean KP is not a starter as well?

[feltdizz]

If MR is not a starter, but MR played as well as KP (better?), does that mean KP is not a starter as well?

Kenny isn’t a FA. He has one place to start next year. Pittsburgh.

This is not about Kenny. This thread is about Mason and FA. I actually believe Pittsburgh is Masons best chance to start next year and he will he affordable for us because the only people excited about Mason are Steeler fans.