Report: Don’t Rule Out Mason Rudolph Returning to Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers filled one of their quarterback slots on Monday, agreeing to sign former Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and while it would be crowded with another veteran in the room, it seems that re-signing Mason Rudolph is still possible, according to a report by Mike Florio of NBC Sports.

Florio reported on Monday night that the Steelers could still be interested in a reunion with Rudolph, citing a league source. Florio’s report comes after Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reported that “something crazy would have to happen” for Rudolph to return to the Steelers.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan said recently at the 2024 NFL Combine that the Steelers are interested in brining Mason Rudolph back, but that he expected him to test the free agent market, as he has.

“I’ve been in communication with his representative and he knows we want him back,” Khan said.  “We’ve told them we want him to be a part of this process. …

“He knows we want him back, we’ve had conversations. But it’s sort of just how the process goes. I can’t tell when the deal will get done, hopefully with us. But it’s just a process and I understand but we’d like to have him back.”

That was, of course, before the Steelers signed Wilson, a move that could relegate Rudolph to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart once again.

It’s a similar position to the one that Rudolph was in last season, when he became a free agent on the open market for the first time, but didn’t find any suitors. He ended up re-signing in Pittsburgh to again be the third-stringer behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky.

This time around, Rudolph has the benefit of recent playing time — and a solid performance at the end of the 2024 season, leading the Steelers to three straight wins and a playoff berth.

But he still did not draw much interest on the first day of free agency, as bigger names like Kirk Cousins and Gardner Minshew were snapped up. There are still plenty of places that Rudolph could sign as free agency moves forward where he’d likely have an easier path to playing time than a three-way battle between him Pickett and Wilson, but he has returned to Pittsburgh under less-than-ideal circumstances before, so it likely can’t be ruled out.