Steelers Get Terrible News About Mason Rudolph As Trade Value Is Revealed For The Quarterback

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the more fascinating quarterback situations in the NFL over the last several years, and that continues to be the case going into the 2026 season. There is no question that Aaron Rodgers is going to be the starter, but how the room is going to unfold behind him remains a mystery. Pittsburgh is in a spot where it needs to find the franchise's next quarterback of the future, and there are two candidates currently on the roster in second-year player Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar. However, neither has any experience, which is concerning heading into 2026.

Outside of Rodgers, Howard, and Allar, the only other quarterback in the room is Mason Rudolph. He is a veteran backup with valuable starting experience. Rodgers and Allar's roster spots are locked in, while it will be interesting to see what follows. The backup role seems to be down to Howard and Rudolph, but whoever loses that job could be cut, or even traded. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo joined 93.7 The Fan on Friday morning to discuss this situation, and he was asked which of the two quarterbacks would have better trade value.

"Yeah, I mean I don't think you're going to get much more than a sixth-, seventh-round pick for Mason Rudolph," Fittipaldo said. "And that might be dependent on some team getting an injury to a quarterback. And if Mason Rudolph beats out Will Howard, who is going to want to trade for Will Howard?"

The trade optics do not look great for either of those two quarterbacks, and there seems to be a chance that the Steelers will find a way to keep all four quarterbacks. The only issue with just releasing Rudolph or cutting him at the end of camp is that no other quarterbacks on the roster besides Rodgers have experience in an actual game. If he goes down, that would be a lot of pressure on either Howard or Allar.

Rudolph has seemed like the odd man out ever since the franchise decided to draft Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. New head coach Mike McCarthy wants to develop his next quarterback, and Allar was hand-picked by him. He has also spoken glowingly of Howard, so there is a chance that the franchise could just part ways with Rudolph regardless. There probably won't be a ton of trade interest, and even if there was the Steelers would not get much in return according to Fittipaldo.

Rudolph's experience as a starter during his time as a backup is valuable, but it does not mean that the Steelers should part ways with one of their developmental prospects. It is more likely that it is time to part ways with Rudolph, despite his experience. He has shown he is nothing more than a career backup, although there was optimism surrounding the quarterback at the end of the 2023 season. He then had a chance to start for the Tennessee Titans and it did not go well. Howard or Allar can step into the backup role, and it is likely time for the franchise to be done with Rudolph.

Steelers Could Use Injury Loophole To Keep All Four Quarterbacks

If the Steelers truly wanted to keep all four quarterbacks, an injury loophole could be used. This was used on Howard in 2025, when he actually did hurt his hand, but he had an extended stay on Injured Reserve (IR) when he probably could have returned sooner. This freed up a roster spot for Pittsburgh while keeping Howard. This could be done again with Howard or with Allar, but that would be counterproductive as they wouldn't be allowed to practice and develop while they were on IR. It wouldn't make sense to do it with Rudolph either, as the only reason to keep him would be his experience and ability to step in and play.

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