Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback position for the 2025 season is uncertain as of now due to the wait on Aaron Rodgers, but head coach Mike Tomlin is confident in Mason Rudolph’s abilities if he ends up being the starter.
“We’re optimistic about the room that we’re constructing. Obviously, we’re excited about having Mason Rudolph back,” Tomlin said at the NFL owner’s meetings. “Our knowledge of him not only as a player but as a man. It’s exciting to have him back and I know he’s excited to be back. But, certainly, we are going to explore all our options to round that room out.”
Mike Tomlin thinks Rudolph’s lengthy experience with the team is his best attribute.
“I think that’s why we re-acquired him,” Tomlin said. “We like Mason Rudolph, but, you know, that’s no secret. … His experience within our building certainly helps. Not only helps him, but helps us.”
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe thinks relying on Rudolph is a risky proposition by Tomlin and Co. That most likely will be the case if the team doesn’t land Rodgers.
“If he was what you thought he was, why did you let him go in the first place?” Sharpe said on ESPN’s First Take. “I look at the situation like this: Once you move on, what are you bringing him back for? If he was what you thought he was, you would have never let him go. At that position? You’ve got the quarterback that you believe that can get you to where you want to go, and you let him go. Come on, Mike Tomlin, that’s not sharp at all. Nobody believing that.”
Rudolph, 29, was selected with the No. 76 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He spent the first six years of his career in Pittsburgh before spending last season with the Tennessee Titans. He signed a two-year deal with the Steelers in free agency earlier this month.
Rudolph’s one season in Tennessee didn’t go as planned, as he was 1-4 as a starter and Tennessee finished a disastrous 3-14.
In total, Rudolph played in eight games. On the season, he completed 64.0% of his passes for 1,530 yards with nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 55.5.
Rudolph, 28, was drafted in the third round by the Steelers out of Oklahoma State in 2018. He spent six seasons in Pittsburgh, playing in 21 games and making 13 starts. In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Rudolph completed 63.5% of his passes for 3,085 yards, 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 86.9.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Palm Beach, Fla.
