ESPN Says The Steelers’ Reunion With Underappreciated Mason Rudolph Could Be Very Team-Friendly
In 2023, the quarterback room of the Pittsburgh Steelers had an intriguing year. After an excellent preseason, Kenny Pickett’s regular season was middling and ended when he suffered an ankle injury against the Arizona Cardinals. It goes beyond just stating that Pickett missed the entirety of the 2023 season due to an injury. He could have been back in the starting lineup, and he would have been if Mitch Trubisky hadn’t done irreversible harm to his career in the two and a half starts during Pickett’s injury.
When Mason Rudolph, the starting quarterback for the Steelers, was forced back into the starting position, an amusing thing happened. Trace McSorley was the only other choice available to Mike Tomlin, but Rudolph was well down the depth chart and the last player he wanted to turn to. As the starting quarterback, Rudolph surprised everyone by leading the Steelers to three straight victories. And even though Pickett insisted he was well enough to play again, he kept him firmly planted on the bench.
By the conclusion of 2023, Rudolph was the Steelers’ best quarterback. Following Pittsburgh’s 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card game, he became a potential free agency. Right now, Pickett is the only quarterback on the Steelers that has a contract.
Regarding tier six, Barnwell stated that “[Joshua] Dobbs and Rudolph are the most conspicuously productive players in this bunch.” “When Dobbs became available in 2023, there was little interest in him. Rudolph is probably going to re-sign with the Steelers because of his brief spurt of output, which was inconsistent with his previous career performance.
Tier six quarterbacks, according to Barnwell, can expect to make around $1.5 million a year in compensation. That is far less than the market Rudolph anticipated. He was ranked as the sixth-best quarterback available as a free agent by The Athletic. If Barnwell’s prediction comes true and Rudolph is able to sign a deal that benefits the club, then the Steelers will be happy.
The NFL is lacking competent quarterback performance, and several playoff-contending teams were forced to rely on their backups in the closing stages of the game. After getting off his sofa, Joe Flacco helped the Cleveland Browns qualify for the playoffs. After two years without playing a down, Rudolph came off the bench to help the Steelers make it back to the playoffs. Without a doubt, Rudolph’s career was salvaged by
There are several quarterbacks in NFL history who were paid far more for their lesser output. Rob Johnson and Matt Flynn come to mind as athletes who received large salaries for little more than a spectacular performance. While Tom Brady was sidelined, Jimmy Garoppolo capitalized on a few strong performances for the New England Patriots to secure a multi-million dollar deal.
The Steelers Peter King Issues a Strong Reprimand to Mike Tomlin
The Steelers’ idea to perhaps run it back in 2024 with Rudolph and Pickett has been deemed foolish by experts like as Peter King. If the Steelers can get Rudolph to a contract that is less than what they were paying Trubisky, though, it could be too good to pass up. Additionally, the contract would resemble the prove-it deals.
