Months before the Pittsburgh Steelers confirmed this past Thursday that they planned to sign free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year contract, the club brought longtime backup Mason Rudolph back to the organization via a two-year deal he inked in March.
Over the weekend, Rudolph addressed dropping down the Steelers’ depth chart due to Rodgers joining the team’s quarterback room.
“I had a feeling they were going to bring somebody in,” Rudolph acknowledged about the Steelers’ offseason plans, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Obviously, Aaron was at the forefront of the conversation for a long time. It won’t change my approach. We’ve got one more week of practice coming up, our mandatory minicamp. It will be nice to get everybody in the building. I’ll keep doing what I’ve done my whole career. I’ve had plenty of adversity and found a way to battle through it. I stayed ready to play well when called upon.”
Pittsburgh’s mandatory minicamp is scheduled to run from Tuesday through Thursday.
Rudolph had plenty of support among Steelers teammates and coaches as Rodgers remained unsigned through Pittsburgh’s voluntary springtime workouts. During the 2023 season, the Steelers were 7-7 when Rudolph guided the club to three straight wins and a playoff berth. Pittsburgh later let him reach free agency, and he went 1-4 across five starts with the Tennessee Titans last season.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that Rodgers had been in touch with Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after the 41-year-old visited with the Steelers in March. Rudolph will now be tasked with serving as Rodgers’ primary backup and as a mentor for 2025 sixth-round draft choice Will Howard.
“It provides clarity,” Rudolph added about the Steelers signing Rodgers. “I’m excited to see a lot of the faces that are coming back, obviously, Aaron. I’m just going to keep doing my job — that’s all I can do — and try to help my team win games.”
Howard is likely a project for the future who will only play as a rookie if disaster strikes the Steelers. That said, Rodgers dealt with multiple physical setbacks as a 2024 New York Jets member. As much as Rudolph may be bummed about entering training camp as Pittsburgh’s QB2, he could be one play away from seeing the field as soon as during the Steelers’ regular-season opener at the Jets on Sept. 7.