Prior to Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan’s media availability at the NFL Scouting Combine, he spoke with a number of local reporters for a few minutes. The biggest topic was the quarterback position. While Kenny Pickett was the first name brought up, impending free agent Mason Rudolph was the very next. Khan was very open about how the Steelers want him back as part of the upcoming competition.
“I’ve made communication with his representative,” Khan said Thursday in Indianapolis. “He knows we want him back. We’ve told him we want him to be a part of the process.”
Rudolph stepped into a mess late in the 2023 season at a time when the Steelers looked like they were going to miss the playoffs. The Steelers had been 7-4 before a three-game losing streak put them in serious jeopardy. Pickett was injured and primary backup Mitch Trubisky had floundered in two starts after Pickett sprained his ankle. So Rudolph, who had been relegated to third-string quarterback, came in.
Rudolph responded by helping lead the team to a three-game winning streak. The offense looked better than it had all season with Rudolph under center. He helped put up 34 points on the Cincinnati Bengals in his first start of the season, the first time the Steelers scored 30 or more points in 2023. He then went on the road and helped put up 30 points the following week against the Seattle Seahawks.
So it should be no surprise that the Steelers and Khan would want Rudolph back. NFL Network’s Mike Garofalo reported that Rudolph is open to a return but expects that there will be opportunities for him across the league. So it could come down to if Rudolph thinks the opportunity in Pittsburgh is better than anywhere else in the league.
What is for sure is that Khan and his staff need to add more quarterbacks. Pickett is currently the only quarterback under contract with the Steelers for the 2024 season.
