The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new starting quarterback with Ben Roethlisberger entering retirement.

On Monday, outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert gave Mason Rudolph a vote of confidence.

"If we started a season today, Mason would be our starter, and we're excited to see where that can go," Colbert said. "Mason's 5-4-1 as an NFL starter, albeit in a backup kind of role, but we're excited to see what is next for Mason."

Rudolph, who is entering his fifth year with the organization, is the only quarterback on the roster currently under contract for the 2022 season.

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has a new home.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the hire of Flores, who is suing the NFL and three teams, as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach Saturday.

"I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a news release. "Brian's resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team."

T.J. Watt has been named the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Watt received 42 first-place votes, beating out Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (five first-place votes) and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (three first-place votes). Donald had won the award in three of the previous four years and bested Watt 27-20 in first-place votes last year.

J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, presented T.J. with the award.

Watt finished the season with 22 ½ sacks. Watt had 49 tackles, 21 for loss and registered 39 quarterback hits, all in 15 games as he battled through hip and groin injuries for much of the season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finalizing a deal to make Teryl Austin their new defensive coordinator, according to a source.

Keith Butler retired from the position last month.

Austin's current position with the Steelers is senior defensive assistant and secondary coach.

JuJu Smith-Schuster said following the Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last month that he wanted to return to the franchise for "another four years."

However, it doesn't sound like an agreement between the Steelers and the wide receiver will happen before the new league year.

Smith-Schuster told reporters Wednesday that he will "most likely" hit the market as an unrestricted free agent in March. He did the same thing last season before returning to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal.