The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it quite clear that they want quarterback Mason Rudolph to return in 2024 and beyond. Problem is, the sixth-year veteran might want a fresh start elsewhere.
After stepping in for veteran backup Mitch Trubisky in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals with Kenny Pickett still recovering from an ankle injury that required tightrope surgery, Rudolph responded in a major way. He helped lead the Steelers to three straight wins to close the season, getting them into the AFC playoffs.
Though Pittsburgh came up short in the Wild Card Round against the Buffalo Bills, Rudolph played relatively well and impressed late in the season, unlocking the Steelers’ offense more than Pickett and Trubisky did in their time under center. Teammates rallied around Rudolph and played quite well offensively, which has the Steelers wanting the former third-round pick to return in 2024.
That said, his status is still up in the air when it comes to a potential return to Pittsburgh, at least according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.Â
During an appearance on the “Two on OSU” podcast Thursday, Pryor stated that there’s a question about a potential fit for Rudolph in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme.
“At this point I think it’s kind of up in the air. I’m so intrigued to see what the Steelers do because I think that they would like to bring Mason Rudolph back, but I don’t know how Mason fits in Arthur Smith’s new system,” Pryor said on the Two on OSU podcast. “I’m interested to see if Mason wants an opportunity to prove himself somewhere else because of kind of the rollercoaster that he has been on throughout his career in Pittsburgh when there was essentially an open quarterback competition between Pickett and Trubisky and Rudolph was supposedly supposed to be the mix.
“…So it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s a situation where the Steelers want Mason and Mason doesn’t want the Steelers because he’d like to, I think, get kind of a bearing on what else is out there and prove that he can be an NFL quarterback without maybe some of the politics of Pittsburgh of trying to jump-start their first-round quarterback.”
The Steelers got out in front of the discussion right after the end of the season as head coach Mike Tomlin stated emphatically that he wants Rudolph back. Then team president and owner Art Rooney II also said that the Steelers want to do business with Rudolph again thanks to how he closed the season.
They said all that even while throwing support behind Pickett as the starting quarterback and a guy the franchise still believes in as the franchise quarterback.
That support from Tomlin and Rooney could sway Rudolph to look elsewhere. Right before Super Bowl LVIII, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Rudolph is interested in a fresh start elsewhere. That could lead to Rudolph leaving in free agency and signing elsewhere, though Pryor believes that he won’t land a job as a surefire No. 1 quarterback.
Things are up in the air with the Steelers and Rudolph. The franchise has stated its intentions, but now it’s up to Rudolph and his representatives if they want to do business with the Steelers once again.
