Despite vast difference in ages, Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph forming bond as Steelers QBs

After Mason Rudolph retreated to the locker room Sunday when he did his part in the second half to secure a 34-12 victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was greeted by a high-five from Aaron Rodgers.

It was like Rudolph was living out a dream from his youth.

“I think if 14-year-old me knew that I was getting a nice dap from A-Rod after game,” Rudolph said, “I’d be pretty, pretty darn excited.”

When Rudolph was that age and on the verge of entering high school, Rodgers was in his second full season as starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. A year later, Rodgers helped the Packers defeat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

Rudolph could never imagine then that he and Rodgers one day would share the same locker room. And, even more surprisingly, become fast friends.

Despite the age gap — Rudolph turned 30 in the summer, Rodgers will be 42 in less than two weeks — and the disparity in their NFL accomplishments, the two quarterbacks have formed a tight bond as Steelers teammates. And that likely won’t change no matter who is under center Sunday when the Steelers visit the Chicago Bears.

Rudolph took the reps with the first-team offense this week while Rodgers mended a fractured left wrist. Rodgers would like nothing more than to get one final win at the expense of the Bears. He is 24-5 in his career against them. If Rodgers makes the start, for Rudolph it would be like Lucy Van Pelt yanking the football away as Charlie Brown is about to kick it.

Rudolph is used to such close calls. It’s the life of an NFL backup. He was the first-team quarterback during the entire offseason only for Rodgers to sign in June and relegate Rudolph back to the bench.

When Rodgers joined the Steelers after a lengthy courtship, he arrived with a reputation — at least to those outside NFL locker rooms — as being difficult and demanding. The four-time MVP, though, asked teammates not to judge him by rumors but to make their own determinations after spending time with him.

Rudolph, who never was close to former franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, didn’t know what to expect.

“You never know, but I had enough mutual friends that said he was an awesome guy in the room,” Rudolph said. “He’s ultra-famous and ultra-successful, but he can let his guard down and just go about things as normal as you can ask for. We’ve all appreciated that.”

Rodgers isn’t the only one in the quarterback room to let his guard down this season. To hear Rodgers tell it, Rudolph is the resident quarterback room jokester.

“He’s a troll,” Rodgers said. “He makes every day so much fun. I tell him thanks for making this so much fun. We joke in the room that he has a checklist of every joke he has to get out of his brain every day.”

Given Rodgers’ track record off the football field, there is no shortage of ammunition for Rudolph to use. He dated actresses Oliva Munn and Shailene Woodley and race car driver Danica Patrick. He had a two-week stint in 2021 as a guest host of the game show “Jeopardy” and was in consideration for the permanent job.

Rodgers also has embraced alternative medicine, has used ayahuasca and gone on offseason darkness retreats.

Rudolph hemmed and hawed when asked to divulge his material. He didn’t want to be politically incorrect, and he didn’t want to violate the sanctum of the locker room or Rodgers’ preference to keep his personal life private.

“He’s a big plant medicine guy,” Rudolph finally said. “We were curious about learning about that and his experiences and where he’s been.”

Rudolph also thought Rodgers’ definition of his humor was a bit curious.

“It’s pretty harsh coming from the troll himself,” he said, laughing. “I do have a list. Well, I don’t make a list, but we’ve got a good, healthy banter — all of us in the quarterback room — each and every day. It’s been one of the most fun rooms I’ve ever been a part of. We keep it light. There’s a lot of material out there for me to use, so he’s at a little bit of a disadvantage because I don’t have the paparazzi waiting outside my house in Malibu every day.”

The closest Rudolph has come to celebrity status away from football was when he dated tennis player Eugenie Bouchard earlier this decade. And he doesn’t quite have the same type of on-field resume as Rodgers, having made just 18 career starts since entering the NFL in 2018.

But Rudolph has established himself as a capable backup with the Steelers, who were eager to re-sign him this spring after he spent the 2024 season with the Tennessee Titans. Rodgers, for one, is glad he has Rudolph around, if not for the jokes but his vast knowledge of the Steelers’ system.

“He’s a great backup, super helpful during the week,” Rodgers said. “He’s a professional, he’s ready to play, he’s a gamer. Watching (the second half Sunday) from the locker room, I was super fired up watching him go down the field on those drives he had. I’m thankful for the way he played, the way he prepares. I would say he’s more Type-A with the preparation. He’s wound a little tight, but it makes for a good backup quarterback because he’s so in tune to the details. I love being around him.”

Watching the barbs unfold in the locker room is rookie Will Howard, the sixth-round draft pick who, at 24, is the youngest of the four quarterbacks on the roster. Skylar Thompson is next at 28.

“I hadn’t been in any quarterback rooms in the NFL, obviously, but I’m very fortunate this is my first one. It’s a group of really good dudes. Mason is always giving Aaron a hard time. Aaron is giving it back to him. Being the rookie, I’ve stayed quiet, but sitting back and watching them is fun. We have a fun room.”

The dynamic is such that there has been no pushback about the roles assigned to each quarterback. And that acceptance has helped the Steelers get to 6-4 and first place in the AFC North.

“Chemistry is so important,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “Chemistry and fit from the staff to the players. This group is completely different. We have four guys who weren’t here a year ago. There is good chemistry there. It makes it fun to go to work, for sure.”