Mason Rudolph might be running out of time in Pittsburgh.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are “open to dealing Mason Rudolph at some point this offseason” following the team’s third-round selection of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. Combined with Aaron Rodgers returning on a one-year deal and Will Howard already on the roster, the Pittsburgh quarterback room is officially too crowded.
Someone has to go. The Steelers are not subtle about which someone that is.
Rudolph has been with Pittsburgh on and off since 2018. He has been a backup, a starter, a bridge guy, and everything in between. He won games when he had to last season after Russell Wilson got hurt. He has the trust of the locker room. But the Steelers are not going to carry four quarterbacks into training camp, and Rudolph is the most movable piece.
The asking price is reportedly modest. League sources estimate the Steelers would be looking at something like a sixth-to-seventh round pick in return. That is the going rate for a veteran backup with starting experience who has not consistently shown he can be a long-term answer.
The question is which team needs that profile right now.
The Browns, Saints, and Cardinals all have quarterback questions. None of them have settled starters. None of them have rookie depth they fully trust. Rudolph at the price of a late-round pick is the kind of move that makes sense for a team that wants quality veteran insurance without breaking the bank.
The Dolphins have also been mentioned in trade speculation, with a recent pitch sending Rudolph to Miami in exchange for draft capital. Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history makes backup quarterback one of the most important positions on the Dolphins roster. Rudolph would be a meaningful upgrade over what they currently have.
For Rudolph, this is the kind of crossroads moment that defines careers. At 30 years old, he is past the point of being a developmental prospect. He has been in the league long enough to know what he is. The question is whether he wants to keep being a backup to Rodgers and waiting for an opportunity that might never come, or whether he would rather take his shot somewhere else.
Pittsburgh’s decision to draft Allar in the third round was a clear signal about how they see the future. Allar is the long-term project. Rodgers is the one-year bridge. Will Howard is the developmental quarterback they took last year. Rudolph does not fit either timeline. He is too veteran to develop, too inconsistent to start.
If the Steelers do not find a trade partner, they could just release Rudolph and save the cap space. That would be a tougher conversation for the front office given what Rudolph has meant to the organization. A trade gives him a chance at a new opportunity and gives Pittsburgh a small return on the investment.
The most likely outcome is that something gets done before training camp opens. Quarterback-needy teams are going to start panicking about their depth charts in late July and early August. That is when Pittsburgh’s leverage is highest. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers front office know how to play this game.
Rudolph’s next stop, whatever it is, will be one to watch. The market for veteran backup quarterbacks is always more interesting than people think.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
