The Pittsburgh Steelers had an interesting development in their quarterback situation at the first practice of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Monday.
As expected, Aaron Rodgers, who officially signed his contract with the Steelers this week, took the first reps as Pittsburgh hit the practice field.
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But after that, it was Will Howard, not Mason Rudolph, getting the snaps. Rudolph went on to land third in the pecking order, with rookie Drew Allar going fourth.
This would seem to suggest that Howard is the early front-runner to be Pittsburgh’s QB2.
And, with the Steelers unlikely to keep four quarterbacks and Rudolph likely to be the odd man out because of Pittsburgh’s need to evaluate the youngsters, it’s very possible the backup quarterback will get traded at some point this offseason.
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If so, here’s three teams that could come calling for Rudolph, who proved in 2023 that he’s capable of keeping a team afloat if called upon to start.
Mason Rudolph landing spots
Dec 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Denver Broncos
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The Denver Broncos discovered just how important it is to have a good backup last season.
Bo Nix went down with an injury in the divisional round and that completely derailed Denver’s Super Bowl hopes because Jarrett Stidham simply wasn’t good enough in the AFC Championship Game versus the New England Patriots.
Rudolph isn’t going to light the world on fire, but he has proven to be more effective under center than Stidham during his career.
New York Jets
The New York Jets signed Geno Smith to be their starter, but that’s not exactly a great option after Smith was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season.
New York’s backup options aren’t great, either. That group consists of unproven players like Brady Cook and 2026 draft pick Cade Klubnik, and journeyman Bailey Zappe.
Head coach Aaron Glenn can ill-afford to have another ugly season like Gang Green experienced in 2025 or he could be shown the door.
We would expect Glenn to push for a better backup option (the Jets are reportedly interested in Russell Wilson) for the quarterbacks room and Rudolph amounts to exactly that.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have a 38-year-old quarterback in Matthew Stafford and a shaky backup situation.
Behind Stafford, the Rams have No. 13 overall pick Ty Simpson and 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett, who the team clearly isn’t high on after drafting Simpson.
While the Rams figured to get Jimmy Garoppolo back to serve as the veteran in the room, he could instead retire, head coach Sean McVay said last month.
Based on Los Angeles’ interest in bringing back Jimmy G, it’s clear the team prefers to have a veteran in the room.
The last thing the Rams want to do is throw Simpson in there before he’s ready, and chances are Bennett is not going to keep the Super Bowl contenders afloat if Stafford gets hurt.
Rudolph, on the other hand, can.