What would a Mason Rudolph-led Steelers offense look like?
Unless or until Aaron Rodgers signs, Mason Rudolph is the quarterback of the Steelers, so what would that look like? It’s not a completely unknown quantity, since he has spent most of his career here. While he spent last season in Tennessee, and is new to OC Arthur Smith, the Steelers know him.
Rudolph appears to be a popular player among Steelers players and coaches, as well as fans and reporters. Many even want to see him play all this season rather than have Rodgers sign, for multiple reasons. Among those reasons is simply to desire to find out, after all these years, what it would look like.
Rudolph started 13 total games with the Steelers, going 8-4-1. He also started one playoff game, a loss to the Buffalo Bills in 2023. In his final stretch with the team, he started the Steelers’ final three games, aiding their victory efforts and helping them to the postseason.
While his heroics are occasionally exaggerated, he clearly elevated the offense at that time relative to the quality of quarterback play they were previously seeing. Mason Rudolph had a particularly strong connection with George Pickens, who is still with the Steelers.
Most of Rudolph’s playing time came back in 2019, his second season and the first season in which he played, after former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending injury. While he started off well enough, his play declined as the year progressed. Eventually, they benched him for a stretch in favor of then-rookie undrafted free agent Devlin Hodges.
In between, Rudolph only started two games, leading the Steelers to one loss and one tie. He posted a 19-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio while in Pittsburgh, including 3-0 in his final season. But in five starts with the Titans in 2024, Tennessee finished 1-4. He threw as many interceptions as touchdowns, which is hard to ignore.
The Steelers re-signed Mason Rudolph while waiting to hear back from Aaron Rodgers. They have since also drafted Will Howard in the sixth round, and previously signed Skylar Thompson. If Rodgers doesn’t sign, they reportedly plan to add another veteran, but as a backup.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While it looks like they are keeping George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. Certain will-he-or-won’t-he situations remain in play, which we continue to monitor. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
