The Pittsburgh Steelers have unexpectedly had their best offensive performance in years over the last two weeks with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Rudolph initially got the nod after Mitch Trubisky struggled in his bid to replace the injured Kenny Pickett, but after Rudolph’s performances over the last two weeks, he’s now starting over Pickett despite Pickett being healthy enough to play. Rudolph is an impending free agent, but former Steelers QB Charlie Batch said that Rudolph’s performance is “muddying the waters” for how the Steelers will approach the quarterback position in 2024.
“That’s the part that’s muddying the waters at this particular point. Because right now, you don’t know what you truly have in Kenny Pickett at this point. Has he done some things well, yes, absolutely. But has he proven to be the franchise quarterback that they need moving forward? I think that question is ultimately going to reveal itself. But in the manner that [Mike] Tomlin has made his decisions last week and ultimately this week, if Kenny Pickett was healthy, he should’ve started, but then he made the decision to start [Rudolph] in Seattle, they won,” Batch said on Glenn Clark Radio earlier today.
Batch also said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Rudolph was able to get a Geno Smith-type contract in free agency, and he wondered what the Steelers would be willing to pay Rudolph to come back knowing he could be the No. 2 quarterback with Trubisky unlikely to be in Pittsburgh after this season.
For as good as Rudolph has been over the last two games, the Steelers have to decide whether that’s the type of quarterback he can be on a consistent basis going forward. If not, it’s going to be tough to justify paying him a contract that could be bottom-end starter money if Pittsburgh rolls with Pickett going forward.
I would be surprised if Pittsburgh decided to go a route that wasn’t Pickett next year. It just doesn’t feel like a move the Steelers would make to give up on him after two years, and while some analysts think the Steelers need to go the veteran quarterback route, that just puts them in this same position once again after a few years. Rudolph’s performance is certainly making it a more difficult decision and evaluation for the Steelers, and it’ll only get more difficult if Rudolph continues to have success and leads the Steelers into the playoffs.
While thinking about the future is inevitable, the Steelers are focused on the Baltimore Ravens and Week 18 right now. A win would go a long way toward the Steelers making the playoffs, and that’s their No. 1 priority right now. Come the offseason, the quarterback plan will be a much more hot-button issue, but for now, it’s all about just winning and finishing the season strong.
