How much should QB Mason Rudolph trust the Steelers?
This seems to be a subject near and dear to Steelers fans’ hearts—or at least to Rudolph fans. The six-year veteran quarterback’s most ardent supporters insist that the Steelers have lied to him. It’s impossible to know for sure. Nobody ever said there would be an “open” competition at quarterback in 2022, merely a competition. That leaves a lot of grey are for interpretation.
Still, a sin of omission at the very least is possible; or plans simply could have changed. Head coach Mike Tomlin has run into problems in the past regarding how many snaps veterans expected to play. OLB Melvin Ingram was the most recent, asking for a trade. There was also James Harrison, and LeGarrette Blount. Volunteers, not hostages, and all that.
The Steelers signed Rudolph to a one-year extension in 2021 with incentives to make sure they had a quarterback under contract for 2022, knowing Ben Roethlisberger was going to retire. Even after signing Mitch Trubisky and drafting Kenny Pickett, however, he still believed.
He said in May 2022 that he was told he would have a chance to compete. He did not, however, specify when that was communicated. It could have technically been before free agency. He said without a Hall of Famer in front of him he knew it was “a little bit more realistic”.
The thing is, Rudolph isn’t under contract for 2023. The Steelers need to re-sign him if he’s going to compete with Pickett for the starting job. And it’s reasonable to assume Rudolph intends to test the open market before agreeing to do so.
That is where the question of trust comes in. Head coach Mike Tomlin said that the Steelers want to re-sign him. He also said that Pickett will be challenged, and that they want Rudolph to be part of that challenge. He also said that he believes their 2024 starter is already on the roster—which Rudolph technically is until the start of the new league year.
The question of trust, though, is a multi-layered one. Can Rudolph trust any other team more than the Steelers? What exactly did the Steelers ever tell him about starting, and when? We know that the team clearly communicated its intention to add to the quarterback room. He obviously knew there would be a competition even before Trubisky joined the roster. And there’s a new front office involved now as well.
Many will insist that there is no reason he should trust the Steelers. Frankly, none of us know for sure. Only he would have a better sense of that. And we may find out if he does or not based on what happens in the next two months.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason to look forward to.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
