How would the Steelers fare in 2025 with Mason Rudolph at QB?

As the Aaron Rodgers saga drags into its second week, the probability that the soon-to-be 42-year-old future Hall of Famer will quarterback the Steelers this season seems to diminish. I don’t know what Rodgers is planning, but recent reports have suggested he favors playing in Minnesota. The Steelers are said to be exploring other options now, in preparation for missing out on his services.

One move they’ve already made is to re-sign former Steeler Mason Rudolph. Rudolph played last year in Tennessee after spending his first five seasons in Pittsburgh. For some Steelers’ fans, re-signing Rudolph does little to move the needle. Rudolph’s statistics in Tennessee — nine touchdowns against nine interceptions, a quarterback rating of 55.5, and a 1-5 record in six starts — are proof of his underwhelming appeal. On the other hand, it’s tough to put much stock in his time spent quarterbacking one of the worst offenses in the NFL. If  Rudolph were to start in Pittsburgh, he’d be surrounded by much better weapons, which would hopefully yield better results. Plus, he did go 3-0 as a starter down the stretch in 2023, leading the Steelers to a playoff berth. Why can’t Pittsburgh make another run with Rudolph at the helm?

To get a better feel for how Rudolph performed in Tennessee, I evaluated the film from his final two starts, in Week 16 against Indianapolis and Week 17 against Jacksonville. They were two very different performances that showcased the best and worst of Rudolph. Here’s my critique, with video breakdowns for each.

vs. Indianapolis (L 38-30; 23-34, 252 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT)

The thing that impressed me most in this game was how willing Rudolph was to attack the middle of the field. He completed 11-of-15 throws on in-breaking routes or routes thrown between the hashes. Some were simple checkdowns where he dropped the ball to a running back because the downfield routes were covered. But there were several well-thrown dig routes and crossers as well. This was encouraging because of how infrequently the Steelers have utilized this area in their passing game in recent seasons. And, given the vertical threats that D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens represent, and the likelihood that opposing safeties will have to play deep to respect them, it’s an area that could be ripe for exploiting.

Rudolph also threw some good deep balls against the Colts. On throws that travelled at least 15 yards in the air, he was 5-of-8, including a perfectly-thrown ball to Calvin Ridley for a 38-yard touchdown. Rudolph’s long-ball is a little flat, and with targets as big as Metcalf and Pickens you’d like to see him put more air under it to give them a chance to win up top. But he is an accurate deep-ball passer, which is important.

I was impressed with Rudolph’s mobility as well. Keep that statement in perspective, as no one will confuse Rudolph with Justin Fields. But he was far from a statue in the pocket. Rudolph is 6’5, but he moves well enough to buy time. Tennessee lined him up under center a lot, which is something Arthur Smith will do as well, and ran several bootlegs with him. Rudolph looked comfortable operating those.

Rudolph did throw three interceptions against Indy, but only one was his fault. He got fooled by coverage on a stick route, and the linebacker slid underneath it to pick it off. The others came on a perfectly-placed throw that hit running back Tony Pollard in the hands and bounced off for an interception, and on the final play of the game on a Hail Mary.

What I saw from Rudolph against the Colts was a quarterback who looked comfortable operating the offense; who was on-time and accurate with his throws; who attacked the middle of the field well and threw some excellent deep balls; and whose pocket movement was sufficient. He made one bad decision on the first interception, but was smart with the football otherwise. If you watched Rudolph in this contest, you’d feel pretty good about Pittsburgh’s chances if he became their starting quarterback.

Studied a couple of Mason Rudolph games from last season to see how he played in TEN. Week 16 vs IND and Week 17 vs JAX. Extremely uneven results.

IND game first.

Rudolph went 23-34 passing, 252 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT. Titans lost, 38-30.

In the video clips, you can see Rudolph did… pic.twitter.com/CTJoNOx81a

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) March 17, 2025

vs. Jacksonville (L 20-13; 19-31, 193 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT)

The Jacksonville game is a different story. Far different. Granted, the conditions were not ideal, as it was played on a sloppy track in the rain. But Rudolph looked confused, was indecisive, failed to recognize open receivers, and made a host of poor decisions. His performance was so bad that head coach Brian Callahan benched him for the following week’s season-finale, and understandably so.

The most glaring concern was what appeared to be Rudolph’s failure to properly recognize coverage. Jacksonville moved around a good deal both before and after the snap, and Rudolph seemed perplexed. His eyes were all over the place, suggesting he either wasn’t sure what he was looking at or was struggling to process information. This uncertainty led to him either holding the ball too long or coming off of his receivers too quickly and checking the ball down unnecessarily. Rarely did he find the sweet spot in between.

Rudolph is normally a stout figure in the pocket, standing tall and keeping his eyes down the field as the rush closes in on him. But in this game he was uncharacteristically quick to bail out. On one occasion, he scrambled for a short gain despite the fact he had a wide open tight end splitting a cover-two safety look for what could have been a huge play. On another, he ran himself into a sack despite a clean pocket and several receivers about to break open.

I’d be lying if I said I knew the source of Rudolph’s struggles in this game. It was a stark contrast to his performance of the previous week, however. For as composed and prepared as he seemed against Indianapolis, he was equally skittish and uncertain against the Jags. It’s possible this is what you get with a player of Rudolph’s caliber — an ability to play solid football for stretches of time, and a subsequent regression into mediocrity, or worse.

Here’s the 2nd Mason Rudolph game I studied. Week 17 at JAX. Titans lost, 20-13. Rudolph went 19-31, 193 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT. But his play was much worse than the stats.

He looked nothing like the QB from the week before against IND. He was indecisive, skittish in the pocket, and… pic.twitter.com/2AFBTcqLhj

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) March 17, 2025

The bottom line from observing him in these two contests is the following: if you believe he could be a competent starter for the Steelers, there’s evidence to support that. If you think he’s a career backup who will be in over his head as the starter, that evidence exists as well. It’s quite possible both perspectives are accurate. Given the quarterback options that remain, Pittsburgh may have no choice but to roll the dice and find out.

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