Steelers ‘Comfortable’ With Utilizing Mason Rudolph As Starting QB

Mason Rudolph was the presumed backup quarterback when the Pittsburgh Steelers reunited with their 2018 third-round selection this offseason, but plans might change for the franchise.

Pittsburgh didn’t re-sign last season’s starters in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, and instead hurled all its eggs into the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes basket. So far, that’s left the Steelers patiently waiting for a response after their six-hour-long meeting with the 41-year-old, as the market for capable starting quarterbacks has dwindled. Worst-case scenario, Rodgers chooses to sign elsewhere or retire, and Pittsburgh is left with no better choice other than to start Rudolph.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, however, doesn’t view Rudolph — aka Plan B — as a gloomy option.

“That’s why we brought him back,” Tomlin said Monday during the annual league meetings, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I’m comfortable with that. We’ve been there before. He’s a very capable guy.”

Rudolph signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Steelers earlier this month, returning after a one-year run with the Tennessee Titans last season. The 29-year-old made five starts for the Titans and went 1-4 with nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, 1,530 passing yards while completing 64% of his attempts. It wasn’t a breakthrough capable of netting Rudolph a line of suitors in the open market, but the Steelers followed their familiarity with the Oklahoma State product.

With Rodgers indecisive for the time being, Rudolph could be next in line for the biggest opportunity of his six-year career.

“We had a need at the position, as you guys know, and he was available and had an interest in coming back,” general manager Omar Khan said, per Pryor. “Our experience with Mason’s been relatively positive, so he made sense.”

Khan added: “I have a lot of confidence in Mason.”

The Steelers might view Rodgers are their must-have option, but the perception from the locker room could generate a negative first impression considering the waiting game Pittsburgh has been forced to play. Steelers captain Cam Heyward has already called out Rodgers for his indecisiveness, and the four-time MVP himself didn’t put together an impressive farewell showing last season before departing from the New York Jets.

Rodgers is two years removed from suffering a torn Achilles with New York, which poses an immediate red flag for any quarterback, much less a 20-year veteran playing into his forties.

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