Mason Rudolph is returning to the place he knows best in the NFL: Pittsburgh.
The veteran quarterback has agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with the Steelers, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Thursday. Rudolph's contract includes $4.5 million guaranteed.
Rudolph spent the 2024 season in Tennessee and found himself in the role of quarterback yo-yo, rising to starter in place of the injured Will Levis, falling back to the bench when Levis returned, and being pulled back into the action once coach Brian Callahan had exhausted his patience with Levis. All the while, Rudolph remained the same steady signal-caller, never elevating the Titans offense but providing a calming presence that the offense sorely needed after the tumult of the Levis experience.
It seems the Steelers' evolving quarterback situation could use that type of presence, making their reunion a logical pairing, even if Rudolph shouldn't expect to compete for the job (unless the Steelers don't land another starting-caliber quarterback this offseason).
Aaron Rodgers could potentially be the lead man in Pittsburgh following the four-time MVP's release from the Jets upon the start of the new league year. But as the NFL world awaits Rodgers' decision, which includes interest from other teams and perhaps even retirement, the Steelers are adding a familiar face to the QB room.
Rudolph began his career in Pittsburgh as a third-round pick in 2018 and spent a full year sitting behind Ben Roethlisberger before seeing any regular-season action. When the time came, he was certainly tossed into the fire, playing in 10 games (eight starts) in a wild 2019 season that also saw Pittsburgh turn to Devlin Hodges for six starts.
Over the course of Rudolph's first four seasons in Pittsburgh, he made 10 starts, appeared in 17 total games and briefly offered glimpses of a potential successor to Roethlisberger. Eventually, the Steelers learned Rudolph wasn't that guy, but was a rather reliable backup, which he proved in his final days in Pittsburgh by helping the Steelers win their final three games en route to a once-unlikely playoff berth in 2023.
With a year apart and both of the Steelers' 2024 starting quarterbacks no longer on the roster, they're welcoming Rudolph back into town. We'll see which veteran he lands behind on the depth chart as a trusted source of security.
