The Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly still in the mix for Aaron Rodgers despite the veteran quarterback taking his time to make his decision. However, on Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that he's fine with the possibility of Mason Rudolph serving as the starter in case Rodgers opts for a different team or retires.
During the annual league meetings on Monday morning, Tomlin admitted that he'd be “comfortable” with Rudolph as the Steelers' starting quarterback, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. So, although Pittsburgh aims to sign a veteran quarterback in free agency still, it sounds like the team will give Rudolph the start if Rodgers doesn't sign with the organization.
“That's why we brought [Mason Rudolph] back,” Tomlin said. “I'm comfortable with that. We've been there before. He's a very capable guy.”
Rudolph served as a backup for the Tennessee Titans last season and ended up starting in five games. He ended the 2024 campaign with a 1-4 record after throwing for 1,530 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions while recording a 64.0% completion percentage. He moved on after Mike Tomlin and the Steelers brought in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last offseason.
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The 29-year-old quarterback (who will be 30 by the time the 2025 season starts) has plenty of experience playing in Mike Tomlin's offense. He played the first four seasons in Pittsburgh to begin his career and went back to the Steelers after a one-year stint with the Titans. The team has used Rudolph as its starter before and Tomlin seemingly isn't afraid of handing the reigns to him again.
Pittsburgh has struggled to find a franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2022. The Kenny Pickett experiment didn't pan out and the team was unable to retain Wilson or Fields this offseason after they each signed with new teams (Wilson with the New York Giants and Fields with the New York Jets).
Acquiring Aaron Rodgers would likely give Mike Tomlin and the Steelers their best quarterback since Roethlisberger. However, at 41 years old, Pittsburgh will have to find his replacement sooner, rather than later. It's possible the front office elects to pick a quarterback at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Benedetto Vitale has nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, with expertise in covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and UFC. The Oregon alumni resides in Greenville, South Carolina, and has previous bylines at BroBible.