The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing some tough decisions when it comes to who is going to be backing up Kenny Pickett in 2023, but despite earlier reports that Mason Rudolph isn't 100% set, a team insider is very sure the organization should most definitely be looking to move on from him.
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Steelers' Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, and Mitch Trubisky participate in drills in training camp in Pittsburgh, PA.
Mark Koboly, a senior Steelers writer for The Athletic, was pretty emphatically against the team signing Rudolph to a contract in free agency this year in an appearance on The PM Team. Host Andrew Fillipponi posed the question of whether "the Steelers might actually bring Mason Rudolph back.""If he has one last shot to be a starting in this league, it has to be right now and there are so many quarterback-needy teams out there where you'll definitely get a better opportunity going into say Indianapolis as the number two, regardless of who they take in the first round," he said about the 27-year-old who will be 28 in July.
If he's looking for some kind of a Cinderella story like Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks last year, it won't come with Pittsburgh, The Athletic writer says.
"You'd better get out of town because we already know what's going to happen here and if Mitch Trubisky leaves, why would he want to come back and hope for an injury," he said. "You can go to Arizona and have an opportunity to compete legitimately for some playing time."
The only way Kaboly could see Rudolph returning is if every other franchise decides they don't want him and Trubisky is gone. According to Kaboly, there had been talk of Trubisky being traded to the New York Giants before the season, but their head coach Brian Daboll, who had coached Trubisky in Buffalo, wanted to give Daniel Jones a last shot at the end of his rookie contract.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) runs for a first down against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers 2023-24 Quarterback Room
There's plenty of time before the 2023-24 roster will be set. Right now, the only certainty in Pittsburgh is that Pickett is the day-one starter. Beyond him, who knows with free agency and the draft looming?
The Steelers could find a suitor for Trubisky and say sign former Jacksonville Jaguars folk hero, Gardner Minshew to backup Pickett.
Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 08: Gardner Minshew II of the Jacksonville Jaguars leaves the field after a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at TIAA Bank Field on December 08, 2019.
The Steelers could also look toward the draft and target a solid option from the mid to late round who could simply just be the third quarterback and learn in year one behind Pickett and whichever of any of the other capable veteran free agents it could choose from unless they decided to bring in two rookies, which would be very unprecedented given this will only be year two for Pickett.
So, Steeler Nation who do you think the ideal backup would be? Did Rudolph ever get a real shot in Pittsburgh? Will another team make him a starter? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.
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