The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only NFL home that quarterback Mason Rudolph has ever had. The former Oklahoma State gunslinger was drafted by the organization in 2018 in the third round as a potential successor to Ben Roethlisberger, but has only shined as a legitimate option at the position in his stretch of three games in 2023 to propel the team to a playoff spot. Former NFL General Manager Doug Whaley thinks in the 2024 offseason, there could be at least one team lining up for his services.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) scrambles for an important first down against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh's Week 16 34-11 win.
Rudolph didn't play a single game for the Steelers in the 2022 season. He was only active as a backup to Mitch Trubisky against the Carolina Panthers in Week 15. This led to speculation that he was done with the organization. He reportedly scoured the market trying to find a legitimate opportunity to be a backup quarterback instead of being locked into the third spot in Pittsburgh. After that failed to materialize, he came back on a one-year deal.
Rudolph spent most of 2023 biding his time as the third quarterback and was elevated to the backup spot against the New England Patriots with Kenny Pickett sidelined. He got his first playing time since 2021 in mop-up duty for Trubisky against the Indianapolis Colts. After getting the starting job for the team in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he's played arguably the best stretch of games at the position since Roethlisberger retired and got the team to the playoffs.
Whaley joined The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan for his usual Wednesday morning appearance and weighed in on the future of Rudolph in Pittsburgh. He thinks that the number one destination for the veteran quarterback is the Denver Broncos.
"Think about this, Sean Payton doesn't need a mobile quarterback," Whaley explained. "That type of offense, timing, precise accuracy type thing, every once in and while, a calculated deep shot, it kind of fits what he does. This guy [Rudolph] will be a legitimate stop gap, the way he's playing right now. "
Denver is likely to be moving on from Russell Wilson in the offseason and will want another body to at least compete with Jarrett Stidham, who replaced Wilson in the final two games of the 2023 season. The Broncos hold the 12th overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, which could leave them outside of drafting one of the premier quarterbacks. As Whaley points out, mobility, which Pittsburgh took issue with on Rudolph reportedly, is not an issue for the Broncos.
Ben Swanson / Denver Broncos
Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (4) throws a pass during a Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders in the final week of the 2023 regular season.
Stidham is only making $5 million in actual money for 2024 according to Spotrac, so the Broncos could afford to send Rudolph a solid chunk of change to be their replacement for Wilson.
Steelers Only Getting Rudolph Back With An Overpayment
When Rudolph was asked by Emily Giangreco of WTAE News during a sit-down interview whether he was coming back to Pittsburgh when his deal expires, he was non-committal and preferred to keep the focus on the team's upcoming challenge of beating the Baltimore Ravens to try to get a playoff spot. It's certainly understandable to want to keep the focus on the task at hand, but saying he hadn't even thought about his future was a little odd.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) awaits the snap during Pittsburgh's 2023 Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Whaley said that with how the organization has treated him, he thinks it will take the Steelers unloading a proverbial Brinks truck of cash to keep Rudolph in Pittsburgh. Other organizations may be interested this offseason since he has some more recent game tape for them to review.
"Think about this, what’s that Mike Jones song? 'Back then you didn’t want me, now I’m hot, you’re all on me,'" he said about the Rudolph situation. "They’re either going to have to overpay for Mason to come back because Mason is going to say, 'Wait a minute, you drafted me, you’ve given me no love. You said there was an open competition two years ago, not at all. Now, I haven’t even gotten any reps until just recently.'"
Whaley said he believes Pickett will be the only quarterback from 2023 returning to the Steelers unless they decide to pay Rudolph some big bucks. He mentioned that other quarterbacks have been paid for less of a sample size than Rudolph. Only time will tell what happens, but Rudolph has a chance to play himself into an even bigger payday, be it in Pittsburgh or somewhere else.
Do you think Pittsburgh should pay Rudolph? Should Rudolph want to be back? Comment below!
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