When Ben Roethlisberger retired from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first thought that crossed my mind was about the future of then-backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. Was 2022 going to be his time to shine?
Alas, the answer to this is probably not. Despite being on the team since 2018, it took Pittsburgh very little time to bump Rudolph from No. 1 to No. 3. First, the Steelers signed former first-round pick Mitch Trubisky. When this happened, it felt like Rudolph was relegated to being the backup yet again.
Then to add to the problem for Rudolph, Pittsburgh then spent its first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft on former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett. Now Rudolph’s future with the Steelers is very unclear.
There are really three ways this can go. Pittsburgh could keep Rudolph and he ends up somewhere on the depth chart. If he falls to the No. 3 spot, he would be a highly-paid emergency quarterback.
The Steelers don’t have to hold onto him if he can’t compete. The team could release Rudolph and save $3 million in cap space. Or they could trade Rudolph to a quarterback-needy team to get either a player at a position or need for a future draft pick.
What will the Steelers do with Rudolph? My bet is he is a very late cap casualty in the final round of cuts. Let us know what you think will happen.
