After leaving the 2025 NFL Draft with quarterback Will Howard, who was selected in the sixth round, it begs the question of whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers are comfortable heading into next season with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback if things go awry with Aaron Rodgers.
Now, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor is shedding some light on how the coaching staff and players feel about Rudolph as their QB1 should Rodgers not come to town.
Steelers Coaching Staff “Buys Into” Mason Rudolph
Before I dive into Pryor’s reporting, it’s worth noting that the Steelers, including owner Art Rooney II, believe Rodgers will be on the team to start the season.
“We’re still kind of getting the same signals that we’ve been getting recently,” Rooney said on Steelers Nation Radio. “He does want to come here, so I do think we may get word soon.”
Nothing is a guarantee, so what do the Steelers think of Rudolph should he be the Week 1 starter?
“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 on “Bishop and Friends”. “I think he earned a lot of credibility with this offense, the way that he finished out the 2023 season.”
In 2023, the Steelers were 7-7 before Rudolph took over as the starter and helped them to three straight wins and secured a playoff spot. They lost in the wild-card round to the Buffalo Bills.
“Rudolph got to be the guy to come in there and salvage the season and get them to the playoffs,” Pryor added. “I do think he has a lot of cache built up in the organization.”
Following the 2023 season, Rudolph signed with the Tennessee Titans after the Steelers brought in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. He started five games for the Titans, going 1-4 as their starter.
In four years with the Steelers, from 2019 to 2023, he’s gone 8-4-1 as the starter and completed 291 of 458 passes (63.5%) for 3,085 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. With the Steelers, Rudolph has shown to be, at the very least, serviceable.
The 1 Free Agent The Steelers Must Sign
PFSN’s Sterling Xie recently examined one free agent every NFL team must sign and mentioned Rodgers for the Steelers.
“Sometimes, the most obvious answer is also the correct one. With the Pittsburgh Steelers repeatedly passing on Shedeur Sanders and not drafting a quarterback until sixth-rounder Will Howard, the red carpet is rolled out for Rodgers. If that doesn’t happen, the Steelers would be looking at starting Mason Rudolph or pivoting to a potential Kirk Cousins trade,” Xie begins with.
Watching the draft, it was evident that the Steelers were confident Rodgers would arrive. Sure, there are other options like Rudolph or a potential trade for Cousins, but as Xie mentions, “neither of those is as desirable as Rodgers.”
Come Week 1, expect Rodgers to be under center with Rudolph as the backup, and Howard as the third-string signal-caller.
