Steelers' Mason Rudolph Shared His Belief In His Future In Pittsburgh Following Exit Interview

The Pittsburgh Steelers made it into the playoffs at the end of the 2023 season mostly because of the quarterback switch to Mason Rudolph. Rudolph has been with the team as a backup since he was drafted in 2018, first for Ben Roethlisberger, and then the past two seasons for Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett. 

Then when Pickett got injured during the Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, his backup, Trubisky entered the game. Trubisky lost that game as well as the next two. Head Coach Mike Tomlin then decided to pull Trubisky and start Rudolph. The postseason seemed like a long shot, but Rudolph won those last three games and with a little outside help, the Steelers headed into the Wild Card game.

Unfortunately, Rudolph's magic wasn't enough to beat the Buffalo Bills. The banged-up defense didn't help much either, and their season ended. It has subsequently created a bit of a quarterback controversy, however. This is a position the Steelers did not expect to find themselves in. The team seemed committed to Pickett, who just finished his second year.

Steelers' Mason Rudolph Breathed New Life Into The Team

Pickett was inconsistent at best and Rudolph brought something to the team they hadn't seen much of all season: the end zone. The Steelers were scoring points in bunches with Rudolph. In fact, they hit 30 points or more for the first time all season with coming him. Now the question is what will happen to Rudolph in 2024? Who will be the Steelers' starting quarterback? 

Rudolph admitted after his Christmas miracle win over the Cincinnati Bengals that before starting again, he wasn't even sure he would be back in football in 2024. He said he had been exploring the idea of going into commercial real estate. But instead, he rejuvenated his team, saved the day, and definitely had a different kind of postseason exit interview with Tomlin. 

Recently, Rudolph joined his former teammate Ramon Foster on Foster's podcast. The show, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports, is called The Ramon Foster Show. On the podcast, Foster asked Rudolph about his exit interview and how it went with Tomlin.  

"Yeah, it was good. Visited with Mike T. and Omar [Khan] both and it's so early. I mean it's like three or four days after we played our last game. So there's a lot neither side of us knows. But I felt like they meant it when they said they'd like to have me back. I feel like they want to do business, future business with me. That's good to hear, but there are so many variables and it's still early. Who knows what will happen," shared Rudolph.

The fact is that football is a business and players don't usually stay with teams for their whole careers. However, Pittsburgh does a lot better than many other teams. On average from 2020-22, they retained 70.44% of their players which landed them eighth out of all NFL teams. 

Rudolph is a free agent again this year and Foster is well aware of how nerve-wracking the process can be. The players have to wait to see what the team wants, what their agent thinks, and then factor in what is best for them. He said he knows so much of it is out of his hands and all he can do is make the best decision he can for himself and his family. Foster asked Rudolph about free agency and the possibility of returning to the Steel City. 

"I went through it last year," said Rudolph. "I learned a lot. It was discouraging at times, but it was a good experience. I'm forever grateful for Mike and Omar bringing me back this past fall and giving me a chance to be ready, giving me a platform to keep myself sharp in the off chance and opportunity did come, and it did. They believed in me enough to bring me back to be part of the squad. I know I felt good playing in the games I played in and I'd love to do that again. I'm gonna try to put myself in a position, whether that be in Pittsburgh or elsewhere, to try to realize that again and accomplish that again."

He goes on to say that as players in the league, you become somewhat used to living with some uncertainty. You could put down roots in a city and then end up being traded or released, so there is rarely a guarantee. 

Tomlin did say that he wants to see Rudolph back in Pittsburgh next season, but that is hardly any kind of certainty. With his success at the end of the season, Rudolph certainly made the decision more complicated for the organization. Other teams will likely express interest in him, something that seemed more unlikely before his win streak. 

How do you think Rudolph's exit interview went? Do you see him coming back to Pittsburgh? Click to comment below. 

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