NFL analysts wondered during the draft if the Pittsburgh Steelers received reassurance from quarterback Aaron Rodgers that he would sign with the team. That would explain why the Steelers didn’t select a quarterback until the sixth round. But if the Steelers have received any kind of guarantees from Rodgers, they haven’t shared them with fellow quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph explained to Steelers insider Mark Kaboly on Sunday that he has no inside information about Rodgers or any other signal-caller the team could pursue this summer.
“I haven’t had any contact with any potential quarterback they might bring in,” Rudolph told Kaboly.
“Whoever they bring in and whoever it is will determine … I learned a long time ago that the financial compensation will tell you what’s going to go down in terms of the depth chart,” Rudolph added. “I get it. All I can do is keep having a good spring.
“Make the most of every rep. That’s what I’ve done my whole career. I am confident that I will be able to play well and win games when my name is called.”
The Steelers drafted Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After one year with the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers brought back Rudolph on a two-year, $7.5 million contract this offseason.
Steelers’ Mason Rudolph in Similar Situation as 2022
Interestingly, Kaboly compared the situation Rudolph is currently in with Pittsburgh to where he was with the team three years ago.
With Will Howard and Skylar Thompson the two other signal-callers on Pittsburgh’s roster, Rudolph is QB1 on the team’s current depth chart. Rudolph also entered the 2022 offseason as the team’s projected starting quarterback.
That quickly changed, though, after free agency and the draft. The Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky and then drafted Kenny Pickett.
“This business hardens you, and I have been through that before,” Rudolph told Kaboly. “I thought I had a shot in 2022, then all of a sudden they brought in Mitch and Kenny. I’ve been through that before, and you have to keep working and stay the course.”
The difference this year is how the Steelers have approached Rudolph’s situation. Although he sits at the top of the depth chart, the Steelers haven’t publicly endorsed Rudolph as the team’s starter like in 2022.
Kaboly wrote Rudolph agreed to return to Pittsburgh without any assurances of his place on the depth chart.
Rudolph dressed for just one game in 2022. But with Pickett injured during December 2023 and Trubisky struggling, Rudolph finally received an opportunity to play. He led the Steelers to three consecutive wins to end the 2023 regular season.
Rudolph Shares Aaron Rodgers Story
With uncertainty surrounding the team’s quarterback depth chart, it would be natural for Rudolph to want the Steelers to avoid signing the four-time MVP.
Without Rodgers, Rudolph has a much better chance of starting in 2025.
But the veteran quarterback, who will turn 30 in July, spoke highly of Rodgers to Kaboly. Specifically, Rudolph shared a story about how Rodgers offered him support after a preseason game.
“I had a rough, early outing, and he came over and said hello and offered some words of encouragement and motivated me to keep working hard,” Rudolph said. “It doesn’t happen a lot. He went out of his way to say hello to me, and that was awesome.”
Rudolph posted a 1-4 record as a starter with the Titans last season. But in five seasons with the Steelers, Rudolph went 8-4-1.
During 2023, Rudolph completed 74.3% of his passes and averaged 9.7 yards per attempt with three touchdowns and zero picks in four games.
