Immediately following the end of the 2023 season and well into the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers made it clear at seemingly every opportunity that they wanted to re-sign veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph, bringing him back to compete for the starting job in the Steel City.
But their actions didn’t quite match their words.
According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the Steelers and Rudolph “never got close” on a new contract to keep the veteran quarterback with the only NFL franchise he’s ever known. Ultimately, Rudolph moved on, signing a one-year, $3.62 million deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
Of course, the Steelers had a whirlwind offseason at the quarterback position, signing Russell Wilson, trading Kenny Pickett following his request, then trading for Justin Fields and later signing Kyle Allen in free agency. But it is rather telling that the Steelers reportedly never got close to a new deal with Rudolph.
“Rudolph, who impressed the team with his work ethic and poise in the four-game starting stint, was an early favorite to re-sign with the team but a deal between the two sides never got close, according to a source familiar with the negotiations,” Pryor writes regarding Rudolph and the Steelers in a piece for ESPN.com Friday morning. “Rudolph agreed to a deal with the Titans on the first day of free agency.”
After stepping into the starting lineup in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals for his first start since the 2021 season, Rudolph impressed right away. He was able to consistently hit the big play in the 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and then carried that strong play into the final two games of the season, leading the Steelers to a 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17 and then a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 to get the Steelers into the playoffs.
Then, in the Wild Card round against the Buffalo Bills, Rudolph shook off a slow start and turned things around, keeping the Steelers in the game and making it a close game before the Steelers ultimately lost 31-17.
His play down the stretch seemingly impressed the Steelers and had them wanting to give him a shot to come back and compete and potentially win the starting job against Pickett. But things changed once Russell Wilson became available.
Once the signing of Wilson was announced, Rudolph ultimately decided to move on as he wasn’t “interested” in returning to the Steelers as a potential QB3 again.
In the end, the Steelers reshaped their quarterback room in a big way and did quite well in the process, adding two talented, dynamic signal callers in Wilson and Justin Fields. But it’s rather telling that after quite a bit of noise all offseason about wanting Rudolph back, the Steelers reportedly never came close on a new contract with the former third-round pick.
