Mason Rudolph sat on the Steelers bench all season last season after being relegated to the No. 3 quarterback job. However, after two months of a quiet free agency, the former third-round draft pick returns to Pittsburgh, according to 93.7 The impeller.
The terms of Rudolph’s re-signing are unclear, but the 27-year-old will reprise his role as the Steelers’ third QB, behind Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky. There had been little coverage of interest from other teams after Rudolph’s rookie contract expired in March, though his social media activity briefly sparked rumors of a move to the Falcons.
Rudolph spent last offseason in open competition for the Steelers’ top QB job following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. Trubisky ended up opening the year below center, with Pickett, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, finishing with 12 starts. Pittsburgh has since endorsed Trubisky, the former Bears starter, as a long-term insurance option behind Pickett.
Rudolph was drafted 76th overall in 2018 and has 10 career starts. His most notable run came in 2019, when he came on 5-3 for an injured Roethlisberger, despite throwing almost as many interceptions (nine) as total games played (10). He was last seen late in the 2021 campaign, throwing eight passes off the bench against the Chiefs. Earlier that year, he made an emergency start for Roethlisberger, who had landed on COVID reserve, in a 16-16 draw with the Lions.