Steelers Comfortable with Seven-Year Veteran as Starting Quarterback
The Steelers have been looking for a starting quarterback after Russell Wilson and Justin Fields signed with other teams. Wilson joined the New York Giants, and Fields joined the New York Jets. The Steelers have been pursuing Aaron Rodgers for over three weeks. Rodgers was previously the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets and has received the honor of NFL MVP four times. The Steelers reportedly made Rodgers a one-year offer and they’re willing to wait a while longer to see if he accepts their offer. However, they can’t wait forever. Amid speculation of whether or not Rodgers will accept their offer, the Steelers are evaluating their other options.
In March, Mason Rudolph signed a two-year contract with the team. The Steelers are comfortable with Rudolph being their starting quarterback if Rodgers doesn’t join the team. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that Rudolph is a very capable guy. Omar Khan, general manager for the Steelers, stated, “I have a lot of confidence in Mason.” Ben Roethlisberger, former Steelers quarterback, believes that Rudolph is a great match for Steelers wide receivers George Pickens and DK Metcalf. Rudolph spent five seasons with the Steelers before joining the Tennessee Titans in 2024. During his time with the Steelers in 2023, he won three consecutive starts during the regular season.
Rudolph is an Oklahoma State alumni and during his last year playing for the Cowboys, he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The award is given to the nation’s top upperclassman quarterback in college football. Rudolph also received the Sammy Baugh Trophy, given to the top collegiate passer in the country in 2017. Rudolph was drafted by the Steelers in 2018 and made his NFL debut in Week Two of the 2019 season. He made his first start in Week Three of the same season.
In 2019, Rudolph set franchise records for a quarterback in his first career home start in completions, completion percentage, and quarterback rating. He had 24 completions, which gave him an 85.7% completion percentage, and his quarterback rating was 124.6. He had his first 300-yard passing game of his career in 2020 and set a franchise record in the Steelers’ Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 for the highest completion percentage in a single game. He completed 18 of 20 passes, which gave him a 90% completion percentage. In 2024, Rudolph rushed 25 times for a career-best of 106 yards. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers quarterback situation unfolds and what Rudolph accomplishes this season.
