The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching as teams will have to decide if they want buy or sell by Oct. 31. The Steelers made headlines last year right at the deadline, sending WR Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears for their original second-round pick, a selection that ended up becoming the top pick on the second day of the 2023 NFL Draft.
It doesn’t appear that the Steelers have as obvious of a trade candidate on their roster that could fetch high value like Claypool did last year. They still do have some players they could look to unload for a potential Day Three pick. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic named QB Mason Rudolph as Pittsburgh’s most likely trade candidate as the staff chose a player from every team that could be on the move prior to the deadline.
“Rudolph is interesting because he’s an expendable veteran third-string quarterback who is playing out a minimum deal he signed in the spring,” Kaboly wrote. “With Kenny Pickett suffering a pair of concussions and a knee injury during his 17 career starts, the Steelers aren’t likely to be actively seeking to move Rudolph, who is also behind Mitch Trubisky. But if the right deal is offered, general manager Omar Khan has proven not to hesitate.”
There was speculation last year that Rudolph could be traded before the deadline after putting together a strong training camp and looking sharp in the preseason. He came into training camp in 2022 battling Trubisky and Pickett for the starting job, looking like the best of the three when the process started. Still, it appeared as if Rudolph was never in consideration for the starting job as Pickett surpassed him on the depth chart near the end of the preseason despite playing well enough to keep his spot.
It was believed that Rudolph was ready to run out of Pittsburgh after being the team’s third-string quarterback last season, looking for greener pastures elsewhere where he had a shot at competing for a starting job. However, there were no opportunities to be had across the league as a free agent, resulting in Rudolph returning to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal. If Rudolph had little-to-no value on the trade market last year, it’s unlikely that he would have much interest this year. Given Pickett’s recent knee injury, the Steelers likely wouldn’t move him unless they were able to recoup a draft pick worth their while.
While you can never say never when it comes to trades like we saw Pittsburgh getting a second-round pick for Claypool last year, a trade of Rudolph seems unlikely as we sit here today. It would likely take at least a fifth-round pick for Pittsburgh to be motivated to trade Rudolph, a price not many teams would likely be willing to pay.
