Working under the assumption that head coach Mike Tomlin returns for 2024—perhaps even if he doesn’t—the biggest question facing the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason is what they have at the quarterback position.
They have had stability of personnel there since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2022, carrying the same three quarterbacks each of the past two seasons. Kenny Pickett, a first-round pick in 2022, had been the prevailing starter with veteran Mitch Trubisky the backup, but it was Mason Rudolph who finished the season on the field, starting the Steelers’ final four games.
And to Roethlisberger’s eye, Rudolph—with whom he shared a quarterback room for four seasons—showed a lot. “I think Mason did a great job coming in the last few games”, he said during his livestream of last night’s game on his Footbahlin podcast. “He earned himself a chance to compete either here or get paid somewhere else. We’ll see what happens”.
A 2018 third-round draft choice, Rudolph has never held a starting job outright, but was never put in a position that would make that realistic. He spent most of his career backing up a future Hall of Fame quarterback. After Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers hit the position in the first round of the draft.
Biding his time for most of the past two seasons, when Rudolph did finally get an opportunity to play, he showed more than competence—he showed talent. He posted a high quarterback rating in each of his three starts to end the season, all wins, all needed.
In his playoff debut, Rudolph went 22-for-39, throwing for 229 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The interception proved costly, coming in the end zone. The Buffalo Bills responded with a touchdown drive, a 14-point swing when the Steelers had been trailing 14-0. Instead of making it 14-7, it was 21-0.
Still, he and the offense persevered and were eventually able to make it a 24-17 game following his second touchdown pass. The defense could not hold up its end, however, allowing a backbreaking fourth touchdown on the night, and all hope was lost.
Rudolph has long had a small but vocal fan base even amid his lowest moments, a coalition that has steadily grown (and often claimed retroactive membership) following his recent performances. Having played largely the best football of his career over the past month, and hitting unrestricted free agency for the second time, it’s fair to question what will come next. He did.
Most anticipate that the Steelers will release Trubisky following his demotion to third-string quarterback, a reasonable enough assumption. It’s also reasonable to assume that they would like to re-sign Rudolph. The question is to what deal and for what role.
Virtually all of the beat writers appear to be convinced the organization remains committed to Pickett as the starter for one more season regardless of how the 2023 season ended. But is there the possibility that the Steelers re-sign Rudolph and allow him to compete with Pickett to start?
Many wonder if they might have to if they want to keep him. It’s difficult to ascertain right now, but it goes without saying that Rudolph has never had a stronger market value than now. I do think some of his fans overestimate his value. I’m not sure there will be a team ready to hand him a starting job with the accompanying contract. But could he earn a better deal with another team that offers him a more convincing shot at starting? I would hardly find that surprising. We will see how much the Steelers value Rudolph in the coming months—and possibly how much other teams value him as well.
