Mason Rudolph’s return to the Pittsburgh Steelers became official Wednesday when the team announced his re-signing.
His two months on the free-agent market aside, Rudolph is tied for the Steelers’ fourth-longest tenure among those currently on the roster. Only Cameron Heyward, Chris Boswell and T.J. Watt have been with the team longer.
A 2018 third-round pick, Rudolph has served as the Steelers No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback during his time with the team. That will remain the case going forward, almost certainly — barring injury or unforeseen circumstance — as the third string quarterback behind starter Kenny Pickett and veteran backup Mitch Trubisky.
Now up at #BreakfastWithBenz: The idea of the Steelers potentially retaining Mason Rudolph made sense a few months ago. It certainly still makes sense now https://t.co/H8XNsa9l7k @triblive @TribSports
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) May 17, 2023
Each of those two joined the organization last spring — Pickett as the 20th overall draft pick, and Trubisky via a two-year, $14.3 million contract. Although coach Mike Tomlin publicly expressed those two and Rudolph would compete for the starting job, that never materialized — Trubisky took only first-team snaps, and Rudolph was demoted to No. 3 midway through camp.
Pickett earned the starting gig by Week 5, and aside from when Pickett was on the inactive list because of a concussion, Rudolph never budged from third-string status and never appeared in a game.
Rudolph did go 5-4-1 as a starter while appearing in 17 games between 2019-21. His most extensive action came in 2019 after Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2.
During the 2021 offseason when it was becoming apparent Roethlisberger could be entering his final season, Rudolph signed a one-year extension with the Steelers that paid him an additional $5.8 million in tying him to the team in 2022.
But with Pickett and Trubisky firmly entrenched on the roster, Rudolph tested free agency this spring. He received only tepid interest, and with most teams’ QB depth charts set, he apparently is more willing to accept a lesser role.
The Steelers did not draft a quarterback and did not sign either of the two who were at rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. They did sign Tanner Morgan out of the University of Minnesota after the draft ended. Rudolph’s signing gives the Steelers the standard four quarterbacks on their offseason roster headed into organized team activities.
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