The Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback. Welcome home, Mason Rudolph. The Steelers are signing Rudolph to a two-year, $8 million deal, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
As Garafolo’s tweet notes, Rudolph chose Pittsburgh over “multiple” offers that included re-signing with Tennessee.
Mason Rudolph returns for another stint with Pittsburgh. Drafted by the Steelers in 2018 and once thought to be the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph has instead proven to be a capable No. 2 backup. Pressed into action in 2019 following Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury, Rudolph predictably struggled as the team rotated between him and Duck Hodges. Rudolph’s most memorable moment came in a game against the Cleveland Browns, hit over the head with his own helmet by Browns DE Myles Garrett, who was suspended the rest of the season for his actions.
Rudolph rarely saw the field the next several seasons and despite being part of the Steelers’ quarterback competition in name ahead of the 2022 season, he was buried on the depth chart as the No. 3. In 2023, after Kenny Pickett got hurt late in the season and Mitch Trubisky faltered, Rudolph was inserted into the lineup. He played well and led Pittsburgh to wins in its final three games, the Steelers finishing the year 10-7 and sneaking into the playoffs. Rudolph started the team’s Wild Card game against Buffalo, a 31-17 loss. Across those four games, Rudolph threw five touchdown passes to one interception, outplaying and outproducing Pickett and Trubisky.
Despite the Steelers stating they wanted to re-sign Mason Rudolph for 2024, they instead turned to Russell Wilson. Rudolph signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans, beating out Malik Willis for the No. 2 job behind Will Levis. Rudolph made a handful of spot starts in place of him, going 1-4 in five starts with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
For his NFL career, Rudolph has started 18 games, thrown for more than 4,600 yards with 28 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Exact contract details haven’t been released but Dave Bryan speculates his deal is structured as such:
Per Over the Cap’s Nick Korte, Rudolph qualifies in the comp pick formula though his impact is currently unknown.
Presumably, he will serve as the top backup to whomever Pittsburgh lands as its starter be it Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, or someone else. According to Garafolo, the Steelers remain “in the mix” for Rodgers as they wait for him to decide between signing with Pittsburgh or the New York Giants or doing something else. Currently, Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the two Steelers’ quarterbacks under contract.
