Buy Or Sell: Mason Rudolph will be a starter somewhere in the NFL in 2024.
Explanation: Steelers veteran QB Mason Rudolph is hitting free agency for the second time in as many years. He had virtually no market to speak of last year, but most expect him to have one now. He started four games at the end of the season, including a playoff game. In two of them, the Steelers put up 30 or more points, a minor miracle. He threw five touchdowns overall to one interception and ran for another touchdown.
Buy:
Given the degree to which the Steelers have praised Mason Rudolph this offseason, it’s hard to imagine them not re-signing him. If they don’t, it will be another team preventing them, and Rudolph would need a good opportunity to leave.
Notably, head coach Mike Tomlin said in his end-of-season press conference that he believes his 2024 starting quarterback is already on his roster. Rudolph will technically become a free agent in March, so he was on the roster when Tolin said it. Ask 100 Steelers fans, at least those on the Internet, and 98 of them will tell you Rudolph will beat out Kenny Pickett for the starting job.
And here’s the other thing: the level of quarterback play around the NFL is not great right now. Sure, you have the cream of the crop, but there are teams out there who have an unsettled position. No doubt at least one of them would be willing to give Rudolph an opportunity to compete. Ben Roethlisberger believes he’s earned that much.
Sell:
Mason Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns—against the 31st-ranked defense in the NFL. He threw for 274 yards the following week, without a touchdown, against the 30th-ranked defense. His season-finale win against the vaunted Baltimore Ravens came against backups. And it wasn’t even a great game.
Then he threw a back-breaking interception in the red zone against the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. The Steelers were already down 14-0, the offense having done nothing up to that point. The first time he faced a talented and competitive defense, he tanked until it didn’t matter.
You know who saw all this and is aware of the context? The people responsible for evaluating and signing veteran talent in NFL front offices. His best chance of earning an offer to “compete” for a job is in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers want to make Kenny Pickett happen.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
