The Steelers are pursuing QB Aaron Rodgers, with Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson already on the roster. While he DMed with Rodgers, TE Pat Freiermuth says he doesn’t know who their quarterback will be. Teams don’t typically keep their players in the loop, anyway, but on this one, even Pittsburgh is in the dark.
Rodgers met with the Steelers weeks ago and has had an offer on the table. At this point, frankly, nobody but Rodgers seems to know why he hasn’t signed, or if he will. While they waited for him, the Steelers did bring back Mason Rudolph, their former third-round pick. Freiermuth says he and the rest of the locker room aren’t underestimating that.
Asked on the Kaboly + Mack podcast yesterday if he has any insight into the Steelers’ quarterback plans—he didn’t. “I don’t know”, he said. He did say that he trusts everybody involved and that everybody wants to win. And the Steelers’ goal remains the same whether it’s Aaron Rodgers or Mason Rudolph or someone else under center.
“As guys on the team, we have all the belief in Mason”, Freiermuth said. “He made some big plays when he was here last, winning three straight to make it to the playoffs. Whatever happens, happens. But we’ll see”.
The Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph in 2018, long before Pat Freiermuth arrived on the scene. They did share a locker room for three years from 2021 through 2023. In that final season, Rudolph helped lead the Steelers to the playoffs after starting the final three games.
Initially, per reports, the Steelers intended for Kenny Pickett and Rudolph to compete for the starting job in 2024. When the Broncos cut Russell Wilson, they pivoted entirely. Pickett requested a trade, and Rudolph pursued an opportunity with the Titans, playing substantially in Will Levis’ stead.
Unfortunately, he didn’t play particularly well, going 1-4 as a starter. In his one season away from the Steelers, Rudolph threw nine touchdowns to nine interceptions and fumbled five times. He threw for 1,530 yards on 228 attempts, and did post his highest success rate.
While Freiermuth and those in the Steelers’ locker room may believe in Mason Rudolph, does the organization? Sure, publicly, they will say as many times as they need to that they are comfortable with him. But what do they even mean by comfortable, beyond settling on him as an absolute last resort?
Tomlin did choose to play Rudolph over Pickett and Mitch Trubisky at the end of the Steelers’ 2023 season. That isn’t insignificant, given that they were scratching and clawing for a playoff spot. Even bigger, arguably, is that he opted to start Rudolph in the playoffs.
One wonders how things might have played out differently had the Broncos not cut Russell Wilson. Would the Steelers have pivoted to Justin Fields, or would they have pitted Pickett and Rudolph against one another? There is a non-zero chance the two will start against one another this season, now that Pickett is in Cleveland.
