Quarterback Mason Rudolph is now a member of the Tennessee Titans. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Rudolph is signing a one-year deal with the Titans, officially closing the book on his Pittsburgh Steelers’ career.
Rudolph finds a home less than an hour after the official new league kicked off. He’ll now serve as Will Levis’ presumed backup under new head coach Brian Callahan. Rudolph impressed in three starts off the bench last year, including beating Callahan, then the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator.
Though Pittsburgh publicly stated they wanted to retain Rudolph, once the team agreed to a deal with Russell Wilson, it was logical Rudolph would go elsewhere. The question was where and for how much. Based on the wording of Garafolo’s tweet, it sounds like Rudolph has some incentives in his deal.
A third-round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft that the Steelers traded up for, Rudolph made 13 starts in Pittsburgh. His career ended with 3,085 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The Steelers’ third-string quarterback in 2022 and 2023, Rudolph got the nod in December after Kenny Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain and Mitch Trubisky was benched for poor play. Rudolph led the Steelers’ offense to its most productive showings of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era and into the playoffs.
After sitting on the sidelines as a rookie, Rudolph’s first action came in 2019. Replacing Ben Roethlisberger six quarters into the season, Rudolph predictably took his lumps, throwing 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Sometimes, his lumps were literal. A hard shot from Baltimore Ravens safety knocked Rudolph out while Myles Garrett infamously hit Rudolph with his own helmet at the end of a primetime game. Garrett was suspended for the rest of the season. Rudolph looked much better in his next extended chance this past season, throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions across three regular season starts.
His final game came in the Wild Card loss at Buffalo, completing 22-of-39 passes for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Pittsburgh’s 2024 quarterback room for training camp will consist of Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, and two other players. Mason Rudolph officially won’t be one of them.
