3 Steelers who won't be back after signing Russell Wilson

1) Mason Rudolph, QB

Reports suggested that the Steelers wanted to re-sign Mason Rudolph, but the Russell Wilson deal suggests that Rudolph is almost certainly going elsewhere.

The 28-year-old has been with the Steelers since being selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but never took over as the team's unquestioned starter. He was at his best this past season when given the chance to play, completing 74.3% of his passes for 719 yards and three touchdowns in four games played, even leading them to the playoffs, but that does not appear to be enough.

It'd make no sense for Wilson to sign with the Steelers expecting to be a backup. He might play his way into being a backup, but that's not the expectation to start. That takes away a lot of the appeal for Rudolph to consider re-signing with the Steelers.

In addition to the Steelers signing Wilson, they do happen to have Kenny Pickett still under contract. They could potentially trade him, but they wouldn't get much back in return. They might get better value out of Pickett by keeping him as their backup and learning from Wilson, a potential future Hall of Famer. If Pickett does hang around, he'll be their backup, again, leaving little room for opportunity for Rudolph.

Whether he can find a starting job elsewhere remains to be seen, but Rudolph should at least get paid handsomely to be a backup with a better chance to play by signing with another team.