Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio was a guest on the PM Team on 93.7 The Fan, and in the wake of New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending torn Achilles, he thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers have the quarterback depth to interest the Jets via trade.
“The Steelers are among the few teams with the extra backup. The Steelers could do it and say ‘take Trubisky and Rudolph could back up Kenny Pickett’ or vice versa,” Florio said earlier today.
The Steelers are one of just 14 teams who carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, and really the only team with backups who might be intriguing enough for the Jets to target. Guys like Case Keenum with the Houston Texans or Nick Mullens with the Minnesota Vikings are a little less intriguing at this point in their careers, and the backup quarterback market around the league, in general, isn’t all that appealing.
Teams like the Indianapolis Colts with a young starting quarterback in Anthony Richardson aren’t dealing a veteran backup like Gardner Minshew, so that leaves Pittsburgh with two backups who have starting experience as a logical trade partner if the Jets want to go outside the organization.
Ultimately, I don’t think either team would pull the plug unless the Jets want to offer something like a fifth-rounder in exchange for Rudolph. I think they like having a veteran who’s started and had success as a young quarterback in Trubisky behind Kenny Pickett, and the Jets still have Zach Wilson who helped lead them to victory on Monday Night over the Buffalo Bills. In a few weeks, if Wilson struggles and the Jets still have hopes of competing, a trade becomes likelier, and maybe the Jets get more desperate.
As a starter, Rudolph has a 5-4-1 record in his career, and much like the Steelers were in 2019, when Rudolph got the bulk of his starting experience, the Jets are a team built on their defense. He could manage games well enough to lead them to victory, so if that’s an avenue they want to explore, he could be a nice pickup on a one-year contract to bridge the gap to Rodgers’ return next season.
It’s not all that likely, but it’s also not totally out of the realm of possibility. Rudolph was rumored to be a trade candidate last season, even though nothing ever happened. The Steelers could be convinced to move him this year for a good enough offer.
It’s an interesting possibility to think about, and with Wilson as the only quarterback currently on the Jets 53-man roster (QB Tim Boyle is on the practice squad and likely to be elevated), they might want more stability if he doesn’t play up to par. Trubisky signed an extension that keeps him under contract through next year, which could make him less intriguing to New York. Still, if the Jets want him and are willing to pay enough, it’s something the Steelers might consider, although Rudolph would seem likelier.
We’ll see how things play out in the next few weeks with the Jets quarterback situation. We’ll see if something could possibly come to fruition if New York feels compelled to make a move.
