The Pittsburgh Steelers will add a quarterback from the outside, Gerry Dulac said this week — and floated the name of Mason Rudolph. Is a reunion in order? Well, that depends on the expectations because they’re only looking for a backup.
While the Steelers say they will explore every option at quarterback this offseason, that’s not what everybody seems to think. Most figure they will bring back one of their two “starting” quarterbacks, either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. They are unlikely to retain both, which means they need a new No. 2.
“If the Steelers do settle on Fields, there is still a matter of who will be the backup,” Dulac wrote. He more or less dismissed the idea of Kyle Allen serving in that role. “The best addition would be [Daniel] Jones, the former New York Giants quarterback. And would the Steelers consider another reunion with Mason Rudolph?”
While that was the only time he mentioned Rudolph, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opted to include his name in the URL. And really, it wouldn’t exactly be a bad option. To be perfectly honest, he is in no position to sulk in hard feelings, if there are any.
Entering last offseason, it seemed the Steelers wanted to re-sign Mason Rudolph. They kept him starting over Kenny Pickett and perhaps viewed him as competition in 2024. Of course, when the Steelers had the opportunity to add Russell Wilson, the circumstances changed.
Rudolph, perfectly reasonably, preferred to go to a place where he might have a chance to start. He signed with the Tennessee Titans behind shaky youngster Will Levis, the literal mayonnaise of quarterbacks. Due to injuries, the former Steelers quarterback actually played a decent amount.
Rudolph played nearly 500 snaps for the Titans last season, making four starts. They went 1-4 in those games, and his numbers were not great. In all, he went 146-for-228 for 1,530 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. It was a far cry from his late run with the Steelers at the end of the 2023 season.
The Steelers, of course, originally drafted Mason Rudolph in 2018 in the third round. He started 13 games during that time, going 8-4-1, including a 3-0 run late last season. For his Steelers career, he went 291-for-458 for 3,085 yards with 19 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. In 2023, he went 55-for-74 for 719 yards and three touchdowns.
Rudolph will be an unrestricted free agent in March. To Steelers fans’ dismay, he signed just a one-year contract with the Titans worth $2.87 million last year. Mike Tomlin has no problem reuniting with former players, including Joshua Dobbs, another former quarterback he drafted. So, is the idea really so crazy?
