Mason Rudolph seems to be the forgotten man, at least by most, in the Steelers’ quarterback room at this point. Once the apple of the eye of many, his fan club is no longer as vocal as it has been in the past. Many, if not most, have turned their attention to the never-taken-a-preseason-snap phenomenon that is Will Howard. The rest recognize, or are resigned to, the probability of Aaron Rodgers returning.
Ray Fittipaldo believes that dynamic could push Mason Rudolph right out the door. He has left before, briefly, before seemingly gratefully returning a year ago. Perhaps he thought at some point in 2025 he might have a chance to start. At least one person thinks he could start in 2026 if Rodgers doesn’t return, but not many would agree.
“If Rodgers comes back, I think the Steelers will groom Howard to be the backup this year”, Fittipaldo wrote in a recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chat session. “That would leave Rudolph’s place on the roster a bit uncertain. Could he be No. 3? Sure. He’s not making a ton of money. But they could also cut Rudolph and take a flyer on a QB in the draft who could be the No. 3”.
New Steelers HC Mike McCarthy hardly acknowledged Mason Rudolph yet spoke highly of Will Howard on multiple occasions. Howard is the shiny new toy, of course, yet Rudolph very clearly has the respect of the locker room. That does count for something but doesn’t secure your roster spot. Not when you already have two other well-respected quarterbacks in the room. One who already made something of himself and one who hasn’t yet had the chance to fail.
Fittipaldo argues that the Steelers have “gone out of their way” to tell people that they are high on Howard. They are doing everything they can, in other words, to signal his intended promotion to backup. But here’s the thing: Fittipaldo doesn’t think it even matters if Rodgers returns.
“If Rodgers does not come back, I think Howard is still groomed to be the backup, but they’d have to acquire a starter in free agency or a trade”, he said. So basically in any scenario, he believes Rudolph is, at best, the QB3, if not gone.
The Steelers selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. They did see starter potential in him, which is why they drafted him despite already having quarterback depth. At the time, they still had Landry Jones, and they had drafted Joshua Dobbs just a year earlier. Rudolph earned the backup job by 2019, though that did not go as well as hoped.
His entire career, of course, has not gone as well as hoped. He flamed out of Tennessee in 2024 after leaving the Steelers, going 1-4 there in 5 starts. With the Steelers last season, Mason Rudolph went 38-for-52 for 310 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, losing his only start.
Rudolph is best remembered for the end of the 2023 season when the Steelers were in a bind. Kenny Pickett had suffered an injury and Mitch Trubisky kept throwing interceptions. Pittsburgh plugged Rudolph into the lineup, and he helped them win their final three games and make the playoffs. He only threw three touchdown passes in those three games, but he did enough for them to win. Not in the playoffs, of course.
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