The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to state publicly that they want to re-sign Mason Rudolph, but it’s a two-way street. It’s also a two-way street for Rudolph. He may well want better circumstances than that which the Steelers offer, but someone has to offer him better. A lot of people who cover the team still don’t quite buy that he has much of a market.
“Mitch [Trubisky] signed for like, two [years] for $5 [million]. I can’t imagine Mason will get more than that. Maybe a little bit more”, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on Thursday on 93.7 The Fan.
Trubisky, who spent most of the past two years as the Steelers’ backup quarterback, returned to the Buffalo Bills. He signed a two-year contract worth $5.25 million, including $2.7 million guaranteed. That’s a steep decline from the two-year, $14 million deal he originally signed with the Steelers.
And Fittipaldo doesn’t believe Rudolph will find more than that for himself, or at least not much more. Notably, Gerry Dulac suggested the Steelers were in the range of two years, $10 million, or practically double.
I do have to say that it’s striking how little Rudolph factors into the national conversation, which gives me pause. The only time you hear his name is when they’re talking about Kenny Pickett and the Steelers’ quarterback situation. Usually, they’re expressing disbelief over their apparent intention not to pursue a better alternative.
Frankly, Rudolph is a much, much bigger deal locally than he is nationally, and that does make me wonder. What market will he find out there after playing four games at the end of last season? He received the cold shoulder as a free agent last year, so those games have to make all the difference.
Some wondered if the suggestion of the Steelers pursuing Russell Wilson was a tactic to motivate Pickett and bait Rudolph into signing. Fittipaldo doesn’t believe that is the case, crediting them with an earnest desire to win.
“The way I view this Russell Wilson thing is, the Steelers believe there’s still a window where they can compete in the playoffs”, he said. “Maybe have some success in the playoffs, with a good to aging defense. That’s how I view this thing. I think they want to maximize this window that they’re in right now. That’s the only thing I take from this. I don’t think Mason plays into this at all.”
Rudolph and his representatives can begin speaking with other teams on Monday, and can sign on Wednesday. He is competing against a pretty robust quarterback market with names like Wilson and Justin Fields as options.
From Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill to Jacoby Brissett and Marcus Mariota — even Baker Mayfield is on the market — there are a lot of moving parts. By the time the more established names find new homes, will Rudolph have found his?
