All Mason Rudolph wanted was to learn. I am no stark Rudolph defender, as his off-field trends lean, well, let's just say the opposite of mine. Make with that what you will. However, on the field Rudolph has proven to be a capable spot starter, and above-average backup. He hasn't yet received the opportunity to start a full season. If the Steelers cannot sign Aaron Rodgers, that could all change.
Omar Khan was smart to sign Rudolph as a contingency plan for the unpredictable Rodgers. At 41 years old, Rodgers is a shell of his former self. While still a future Hall of Famer, Rodgers is annoyingly successful at best, and a downright nuisance and locker room cancer at worse. Mike Tomlin's crush on Rodgers reeks of 'I can change him' vibes, and should the embattled head coach get his wish, the best-case result is a slight improvement over the 2024-25 Pittsburgh team which crashed and burned in the AFC Wild Card round.
The Steelers chose the wrong year to need a quarterback. They've had years to prepare for life after Roethlisberger, but failed to do so for reasons I cannot comprehend. Roethlisberger's been gone for a few years now and the Steelers attempts to replace him have gone horribly wrong, from Kenny Pickett to Russell Wilson. Now, either Rodgers or Rudolph will take their reps.
Ben Roethlisberger praises Mason Rudolph
Unlike during his playing days, Roethlisberger actually has some faith in Rudolph is Rodgers doesn't sign in Pittsburgh, or opts to retire. That's a first.
“Mason [Rudolph] can get the guys the ball,” Roethlisberger said. “Mason can throw the ball. That’s never been a question. He can make decisions and get the ball out of his hand. He’s not afraid to take shots down the field, either. That’s one of the things I think that, as you’ve watched Mason when he was here and then in Tennessee, he’s not one of these guys that gets nervous and just wants to get the ball out his hands right away. He’ll sit in there, and he’ll throw it down the field."
Roethlisberger also mentioned that having two elite receivers like DK Metcalf and George Pickens would help Rudolph – a player who is not afraid to make the difficult pass when called upon – improve the Steelers offense. While I agree with Roethlisberger's sentiment, it is ironic coming from a player who blasted his own team for drafting Rudolph in the third round back in 2019. Roethlisberger has since claimed he didn't feel threatened, but instead believed the team could've used that pick (in the third round, again), on an impact player rather than a backup quarterback.
“I didn’t have an issue with Mason when he got drafted,” Roethlisberger said. “I had more of an issue with the pick. We had a really good football team and he got drafted early. I just felt like we could have maybe picked a player who could have helped us at the moment. We were still a team that was competing. I was not worried about him taking my job, that was not an issue for me."
Steelers should finally listen to Ben Roethlisberger
That's a bit different from how Rudolph recounts the series of events. Rudolph hasn't said much publicly about Roethlisberger, but did mention he wanted to mentor the then first-round rookie Pickett in 2022 rather than 'being like someone else'. You get the picture.
Retirement has done a number on Roethlisberger. With less to prove, he can praise his counterparts – even those he struggled to embrace during his playing career. Rudolph should take that praise with a grain of salt.