There has been plenty of speculation about what the Pittsburgh Steelers will do at the quarterback position this offseason. The only thing definitively known at this point is that Kenny Pickett will be in training camp. After all, he’s the only quarterback under contract. While most speculation is on quarterbacks who can be brought in from outside, there are still plenty of eyes on Mason Rudolph. Will he return to Pittsburgh or seek his fortune elsewhere?
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, all options are on the table.
“My understanding is the door is not closed on Mason Rudolph possibly returning to Pittsburgh,” Garafolo said on Wednesday’s episode of the Insiders on NFL Network. “But they do expect, his camp does expect that there will be opportunities elsewhere potentially for him. Particularly because he did play well there in those spot starts down the stretch.”
Rudolph is an intriguing option for the Steelers, but question marks abound. For whatever reason, the Steelers have yet to feel confident in giving Rudolph extended playing time. Yet in 2023, with Pickett sidelined and former Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky falling flat on his face, head coach Mike Tomlin turned to Rudolph to see if he could guide the Steelers to the playoffs. Rudolph started the final three games of the season and helped the team to three straight wins.
So it makes sense that the Steelers would want to bring Rudolph back. Tomlin has expressed interest in having him back. There are even reports that some people in the organization back Rudolph as the starter over Pickett.
It also makes sense that people around Rudolph might think there are opportunities for him around the league. Rudolph showed confidence and helped the Steelers’ offense look much better than at any other point in the season. The question for Rudolph will be what kind of opportunities await him around the league compared to the opportunity he has in Pittsburgh.
Perhaps the bigger question is how much of an opportunity Rudolph feels he has with the Steelers. Does he feel like he has a chance to compete for the starting job or even the primary backup? After all, he was the third quarterback behind Pickett and Trubisky for most of last season. Maybe he feels like there’s an opportunity to at least be the primary backup elsewhere. Only time will tell, but it seems like Rudolph and his people feel like he will have options this offseason.
