With Ben Roethlisberger's career officially coming to a close, potentially as early as Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers are beginning to prepare for the future at quarterback. Roethlisberger's retirement will leave the Steelers with a quarterback vacancy for the first time since he was drafted in 2004.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Steelers have some plans in place and could look to approach the quarterback position via the draft, or from their own roster.

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Rapoport notes that GM Kevin Colbert is expected to retire after April's 2022 NFL Draft. His last actions with the Steelers like likely be to set them up for the future via the draft, and he could do just that by using a first-round pick on a quarterback. One player Rapoport linked to the Steelers in the draft was Pitt's Kenny Pickett.

The Steelers and Pickett could make sense considering their close proximity and the ease with which Pittsburgh is able to scout the quarterback prospect. However, Pittsburgh won't draft until somewhere between picks No. 19-24, depending on the results of their playoff run, meaning there's a good chance that Pickett won't be available unless they're willing to trade up, something Colbert has not often done.

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If Pickett doesn't turn out to be the answer for the Steelers, Rapoport notes that they could entertain a quarterback competition between Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins. While those two names may not be the flashiest among available quarterbacks, they would be a financially safe option for the Steelers, and both already have familiarity with the organization.