The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t shown many signs of panic when it comes to their quarterback situation with Aaron Rodgers still stringing the team along with his decision. Maybe that’s because they have Mason Rudolph, who last led them to a three-game winning streak to end the regular season in 2023. Former Steelers QB Charlie Batch isn’t so sure that Rodgers has the edge over Rudolph if he waits too much longer to sign.
“Mason Rudolph, he was here, but he wasn’t in this system. So he does have a leg up as it relates to learning the offense because he’s been here for the last couple months,” Batch said in an interview with Arthur Moats on The Arthur Moats Experience podcast. “I think the longer it goes towards training camp, I think you have to give the edge to Mason Rudolph because that means he knows the system a little bit better than what Aaron Rodgers [does].
“We understand what his resume looks like, but again, this is not a system that Aaron has spent the majority of his career in that you could say it’s a plug-and-play type of situation.”
Given the Steelers’ recent track record of assigning pole position and showing deference to future Hall of Fame veteran players, I would be surprised if Rudolph ends up with the inside track regardless of when Rodgers signs. Even if he signs the day before training camp begins, which was Mike Tomlin’s initial line in the sand, I think Rodgers has the upper hand.
Rudolph has familiarity with certain players like Pat Freiermuth and Calvin Austin III, but the majority of the other teammates and of course the offensive coordinator are new since he was last with the team in 2023. I don’t want to discount what players can learn during voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but would Rudolph really be able to build an insurmountable lead with an entire training camp and preseason to go?
The most recent example was Russell Wilson versus Justin Fields last offseason, though it was a different set of circumstances. Fields got almost all of the physical reps throughout camp, but Wilson was around for all of OTAs and workouts and even hosted training sessions with his teammates during the offseason.
Missing camp hurt, but they were comfortable plugging him back into the starting lineup because he had been around the team and learned the lingo for several months by the time he got his first start after injury.
There is no way to simulate cohesion within an offensive unit other than players spending time around each other. Rodgers would obviously have a better chance than a lesser quarterback at acclimating quickly, but it’s just as much about the receivers acclimating to him as it is the other way around. Roman Wilson, for example, is expected to play a role in the offense this year, but he has barely taken an NFL snap yet.
“I just have, not necessarily a big question mark, but a small question mark as it relates to how that jell is going to happen, how fast it’s going to happen,” Batch said.
There have been reports throughout the offseason that the Steelers have a great deal of belief in Rudolph and he was one of the reasons they weren’t too worried about imposing deadlines with Rodgers or backfilling the position early in the draft.
He had a lackluster 2024 season in his limited opportunities with the Tennessee Titans, but that Titans team ended up picking No. 1 overall for a reason. The last time Rudolph played for the Steelers, he completed 53 of his 71 attempts for 716 yards, three TDs and no interceptions in the final three regular season games. He lifted them into the playoffs when it appeared all hope was lost after a three-game loss streak.
“I’m excited for Mason because he’s been waiting for this opportunity. He’s worked his tail off since he’s been drafted,” Batch said. “…I’m excited because I know this is gonna be his moment. If all things work out, I think he’s gonna bring some excitement here for this season.”
It’s hard to envision a world where Rodgers signs and isn’t the starting quarterback. But there has to be at least a small part of most Steelers fans that want to see what Rudolph can do entering a season as QB1 for the first time in his career.
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