Pittsburgh Steelers Polarizing QB Mason Rudolph With The Truth About His Frosty Relationship With Ben Roethlisberger

When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph in 2018, their 36-year-old quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, was not too happy about it. While most NFL teams will draft the "heir apparent" prior to the retirement of the current leader, Roethlisberger didn't feel he was at that point in his career. 

Roethlisberger even went on a local Pittsburgh radio station and said that he felt there were other players available in that third round that could have better helped the team succeed.

This upset over Rudolph being drafted led to a slew of whispered (and some shouted) rumors about the relationship between the two of them. That relationship remained a hot-button topic for the next four years while the two were on the team together. 

Steelers' Mason Rudolph Addresses The Rumors About His Relationship With Ben Roethlisberger 

While it is not hard to understand how Roethlisberger may have felt, no one wants to feel as though they are getting the silent signal their time is up. It also wasn't personally Rudolph's fault. But according to the gossip at the time, Roethlisberger seemingly took his frustrations out on Rudolph. There were always rumblings that he wasn't personable, or helpful with the young quarterback. 

That relationship may have been hindered further by the times Rudolph came in for Roethlisberger when he was injured. Most notably during the 2019 season when Roethlisberger was hurt during the Week 2 game. Rudolph came in for him and his performance was spotty at best, at one point he was even benched in favor of the third-string QB Devlin Hodges. 

When Roethlisberger retired after 18 seasons in 2022, everyone came out of the woodwork to wish him well and congratulate him. Everyone but Rudolph. It was especially interesting since at that point, we didn't know if Rudolph might even be named the starter. Maybe he talked to him privately, but it felt odd. Even Antonio Brown, who has been openly critical of his former quarterback, publicly applauded his career. 

Then when the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in 2022 and Rudolph was asked about it he said he is happy to help Pickett learn the ropes. He said he was willing to mentor him "unlike someone else" implying that Roethlisberger wouldn't do that for him. 

Now Rudolph is once again speaking out about his relationship with his former teammate. This time he was on the Steel Here podcast which is hosted by Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry. 

Rudolph was asked by Adams to kind of put those old rumors to bed once and for all and answer the questions about Roethlisberger's demeanor and attitude towards him. The answers given by Rudolph don't leave any listener with warm fuzzies. Rudolph, as always, is a consummate professional and gives Roethlisberger all the credit and respect he deserves. 

"First of all, I don't take it for granted. There are not a lot of young players that can come in and get to be in the presence of and learn from a Hall of Fame quarterback. He was a guy I watched, one of my favorites, through high school, through college. Being at it for 18 years, he had a mode of operation. He prepared sort of independently."

Rudolph said that because Roethlisberger was such a veteran presence on the team, he wasn't required to do all of the things that the rookies were. He almost gave him an "out" for not spending more time mentoring him, suggesting they just weren't in the same places.  

"I wouldn't say we were close. But he had a job to do, he had a team to lead and I get that. There were plenty of times that he would answer questions that I had. He operated independently at times. With his level of knowledge, he didn't need to sit through every quarterback meeting with the rookies and go over Day 1 install. He could be exempt from a lot of that kind of stuff."

As Rudolph continues on, it feels a bit uncomfortable for the listener. It feels like he is clearly trying to say Roethlisberger wasn't happy he was there and wasn't willing to help him out, but he won't bash him. 

The one thing nearly everyone says about Rudolph, whether you love or hate him as a player, is that he's a "good guy." He is a team player that is always willing to go the extra mile to help. That shines through in this entire interview, but nowhere more so than here. He takes the high road and lets Roethlisberger off with an excuse about their ages.   

"There is no bad blood. We weren't close, but would you expect a 37-38 year old guy to be best friends with a 23-year-old? He's got 3 kids at home, maybe more I forget. Totally different stages of life. Like I said, no bad blood. I was appreciative to be around a player like that to learn what I could, pick up what I could and move on down the road."

Rudolph made enough inferences that we can read between the lines to see what kind of relationship they had or didn't have for that matter. Now the turn is Rudolph's to help mentor a young quarterback and we are all glad he is choosing to get his hands dirty in the process of helping out. 

What do you think of Roethlisberger and Rudolph's relationship? Do you think Roethlisberger shunned him or treated him poorly? Or refused to help? What do you think about Rudolph being back this season? Click to comment below. 

#SteelerNation