After seeing the Pittsburgh Steelers land quarterback Russell Wilson on a one-year deal ahead of free agency late Sunday night, veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph “isn’t interested in returning” to the Steelers in free agency, according to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly.
Kaboly tweeted the news moments ago.
Rudolph, who had a stretch to close the regular season for the Steelers in 2023, leading Pittsburgh to three straight wins to reach the playoffs before the Steelers lost to Buffalo in the AFC Wild Card game, reportedly has a solid free agent market.
The Steelers apparently aren’t ruling out a return for Rudolph, either, even after landing Wilson to compete with Kenny Pickett for QB1.
But based on Kaboly’s report, Rudolph doesn’t want a return to Pittsburgh.
That doesn’t come as a surprise. Though the Steelers stated publicly all offseason that they wanted Rudolph back to compete against Pickett, things took a turn when the Steelers pivoted to Wilson, landing him on the one-year deal. That is a clear upgrade over what the Steelers had last season in Pickett, Trubisky and Rudolph in the quarterback room.
Based on his play late in the season, Rudolph should have plenty of suitors as at least a No. 2 in the NFL. In Pittsburgh, he would presumably be a No. 3 with the addition of Wilson and the presence of Pickett, which is something Rudolph very clearly doesn’t want.
Once Rudolph was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers’ offense took off, leading to the three-game winning streak in which the Steelers scored 30 or more points in back-to-back games. Rudolph was a big part of that, throwing three touchdown passes, completing 75% of his passes and providing the Steelers with an explosive downfield passing attack.
Though Kaboly stated that the two sides could circle back later if Rudolph doesn’t get any real offers around the league, it feels very likely that his time in Pittsburgh is done.
