Will Aaron Rodgers sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers? The team seems confident that will happen, but until pen is put to paper, no deal is done. That leaves Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin has stated that he’s confident in Rudolph as the team’s starter, but some fans might not share that sentiment. However, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, players believe in Rudolph, too.
“I have been told from people in the building that not only does the coaching staff buy into him, but the guys in the locker room really like Mason Rudolph,” Pryor said Wednesday on Bishop and Friends on the radio station 97.1 The Fan. “I think he earned a lot of credibility with this offense, the way that he finished out the 2023 season.
“If you remember, that was the Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett. Kenny Pickett gets hurt. It just all fell apart, and Mason Rudolph got to be the guy to come in there and salvage the season and get them to the playoffs. I do think he has a lot of cache built up in the organization.”
Reports have indicated that coaches like Tomlin are fine rolling with Rudolph starting under center. However, it’s another thing entirely to hear that players believe in Rudolph.
After the way that the 2023 season ended, it makes sense that there would be a general confidence in Rudolph. That season was a mess for the Steelers at quarterback. There was hope Pickett would develop into a franchise quarterback. However, it quickly became apparent that wouldn’t be the case. Trubisky wasn’t offering much upside, either.
Enter Rudolph, who had been sitting quietly as the Steelers’ third-string quarterback. Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes were teetering on the ledge with three games left in the year. However, Rudolph led the Steelers to three straight wins, helping them make the postseason.
The Steelers would go on to lose in the first round of the playoffs, but Rudolph wasn’t the main reason for that. He played fine, throwing for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
That was before the Steelers signed Arthur Smith, too. In his system, Rudolph might find a little more success. There are some reasons to believe the Steelers can still be competitive with Rudolph starting for a full season.
However, it doesn’t feel like Pittsburgh’s ceiling would be very high in that scenario. Could they win a playoff game with Rudolph starting? Maybe, but it’s doubtful they’d beat some of the powerhouses in the AFC.
Despite that, the Steelers, both players and coaches, seem confident in Rudolph. They’re still pursuing Rodgers because he is a better option, but they may rock with Rudolph if they can’t get that deal done. While that wouldn’t be ideal, the Steelers have won with poor quarterback play before. If Rudolph can at least not lose them games, then perhaps the Steelers won’t be terrible in 2025.
