It remains to be seen who will operate as the Steelers’ starting quarterback in 2025, but a familiar face will handle backup duties. Mason Rudolph is returning to Pittsburgh, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. 
This will be a two-year pact worth $8MM. Rudolph will collect $4.5MM in guarantees upon returning to the Steelers after playing with them from 2018-23. Another pact with the Titans received consideration, per the report, but Rudolph’s preference was to come back to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers rebuilt their QB room last offseason, allowing Rudolph to take a one-year Titans deal while trading away Kenny Pickett and releasing Mitch Trubisky. They were replaced by Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, setting up a notable one-year experiment with both new passers on expiring deals. Fields was the team’s preference regarding a 2025 deal, but he is headed to the Jets. That leaves Wilson as a fallback option in Pittsburgh’s case, although he has visits lined up with the Giants and Browns.
Of course, the Steelers are among the suitors for Aaron Rodgers. The NFL’s next major quarterback domino will be his decision on playing in 2025, and if so, where. Pittsburgh has made an offer, and Dianna Russini of The Athletic notes the team is waiting to hear back from him. The four-time MVP has other suitors, and the Giants have frequently been mentioned as a potential landing spot. The Vikings, meanwhile, still find themselves in the mix.
However things shake out atop the depth chart for Pittsburgh, Rudolph’s return will give the team a familiar backup option. The 29-year-old made 13 starts across his Steelers tenure, with eight of them coming in 2019. He posted a passer rating of 86.9 along with a 19:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio in Pittsburgh, numbers which left plenty to be desired. Rudolph’s one-year Titans pact came with limited expectations but it allowed him to compete for the starting gig.
Will Levis‘ second year in the NFL did not go according to plan in Tennessee, and the team benched him in December. That opened the door for Rudolph to see playing time, and the Oklahoma State product made five starts amongst his eight appearances. After going 1-4 in that span and throwing as many touchdown passes (nine) as interceptions, it comes as little surprise Rudolph waited longer than many of the other quarterbacks on the market to land a deal. He is returning to an organization which valued him throughout his career, though, and it will be interesting to see if h winds up seeing any playing time in 2025.
Love it
Great backup for AR
Every article I see about the Steelers makes me go Huh? LMAO
@unclemike is that steelers articles or just your brain activity.
In a battle of wits you’d be shooting blanks. You’re the kind of guy who would walk across the train tracks and have it be an AMTRAK train. Probably read about it any day now.
@unclemike. Luckily I don’t have a AMTRAK around my beachfront property in arizona.
I hope AR goes there. Laughing stock
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more weird
I’d have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. Look I know we said you sucked back when we released you but certain events in our recent past and we have reconsidered and we now think you may or may not be good. So what say we give the bottle another spin and see if it makes more sense now OK? And he said YES! Can’t make this stuff up. Or I guess I can. LOL
Mike, you know they lied to Fields but what they did to this kid was worse. Draft him and tell him he’ll be developed with the help of a future HoF QB. Instead, that QB was a prima donna who took his drafting as a personal affront and not as having a plan after his retirement He ignores Rudolph
Then you play games with his head and have Duck Hodges going in there. He spends a year and a half quietly working hard in practices and often times not being dressed for games, and is told he will compete with Pickett and Trubisky, outplays them in camp and is still listed number 3….and finally gets his chance and looks good as he leads him into the playoffs.
Only to see the Steelers shop for Wilson and Fields.
Lies?
I’m amazed the kid came back
He’s not a starter by any stretch, but he’s like Robbie Benson in “One on One”. Should’ve told Tomlin to stick it up….
And I thought I was the only one to pay and see “One on One. I really think this QB situation in Pittsburgh is a great story right now. I see the Steeler’s having basically the same front office when they drafted Pickett and seen him as the replacement for Big Ben, now being a little gun shy of taking another chance of drafting a QB, do they spend the future picks on trying to move up in the draft or sit and wait until their number comes up. Or do they say let’s package a deal for an established NFL QB like maybe (rumored available) Murray or Lawrence at what cost and if that fails there always is the over the hill gang of past their prime QB’s for one-year where you have Rodgers, Wilson etc. Then you always have the beating the bushes for a Mayfield and get lucky like Tampa Bay did which they could be reaching for with Rudolph.
If they think trading for Murray is going to be cheaper than trading up to get Ward or Sanders they’re really idiots. And they have to pay him where the other 2 would be cheap at least. The Steelers record of developing QB’s is as bad as the Bears and Jets so there’s that fact also.
Like I said looks like the Steelers right now are playing with a house of cards and hoping it don’t fall down. Without an establish talented QB this team is not going anywhere, with an explosive pair of WR’s ready to explode on the sideline with the wrong QB that cannot get them the ball enough.
Mike, I again agree
But it can’t be Groundhogs Day forever
At some point, they have to find a young, franchise QB
And it’s not coming in the forms of 42 or 37 year olds
Pay the price, either in terms of trade capital or drafts. Take whatever lumps that come and move ahead
You would think Pittsburgh would be last place he would want to go
Mason either wants another helmet bashing from a certain Browns player or he doesn’t realize the Steelers OL ranked 29th in pass protection last season :)
Why is the photo of Duck Hodges?
Haha. You’re right.
Just noticed that as well. This is bordering on the absurd now..haha
Unless they just changed it that’s Rudolph.
Looks like the Titans will waste their pick on Ward
No. Mason has always been, ironically, number 2
That’s Duck