If the Steelers can’t count on Aaron Rodgers returning definitively, then Mason Rudolph is their next best option, Mark Kaboly says. Eschewing all the talk of Malik Willis and other assorted scenarios, he believes the answer is in-house already. While Rudolph has been with the team for a long time, of course, he’s just as new to the new coaching staff as everybody else.
“I am starting off with the obvious here. What are we looking at?”, Kaboly said on the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown last night when asked if there were a Sam Darnold option for the Steelers this year. Or at least who would be the closest. “The next Sam Darnold is none other than Mason Rudolph. Wouldn’t he be the next guy that fits that type of a role if you give him the opportunity to go in there and play 17 games, to have that best opportunity?”.
The Steelers selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has spent his entire career high minus the 2024 season, when he parted in free agency. That was the year after his best run in the NFL, after which the front office pivoted hard. They signed Russell Wilson, then after trading Kenny Pickett, traded for Justin Fields.
Rudolph saw no viable opportunity for himself, and he ended up with the Titans. Although it’s not clear whether the Steelers, at that point, had any intention of bringing him back. But after wiping the entire quarterback room once again, both sides were happy to reunite in 2025.
Rudolph did start one game for the Steelers last season, a loss to the Bears. In that game, he finished 24-for-31 for 171 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. He also fumbled once and lost possession. Rudolph threw a touchdown a week prior to that start, but later in the season added a second interception, too.
We are now two years removed from Mason Rudolph’s shining moment as the Steelers’ quarterback. He helped them win the final three games of that season and make the playoffs. Despite the fact that he only threw three touchdowns in those three games, he was at least better than the alternatives, Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. But is he better than the Steelers’ other quarterback alternatives now?
“There’s nobody out there. I mean, we all know the free agents; they’re all recycled guys. The Jacoby Brissetts of the world”, Kaboly said in explaining why Mason Rudolph is the Steelers’ best alternative if Aaron Rodgers is not to be their quarterback. “If you’re [asking] me the best opportunity, I would say it’s him”.
Several prominent beat writers have long been in Mason Rudolph’s corner. Others, though, wonder if he might even be here in 2026. Even last offseason, he operated as the Steelers’ lead quarterback through the spring under Rodgers signed. During that time, it was clear that he had the support of the locker room. And right now, the only other options are Will Howard, who hasn’t even played in the preseason, and Skylar Thompson.
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