The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently on a two-game winning streak with the best offensive performances of the season after Head Coach Mike Tomlin had no choice but to finally turn to Mason Rudolph at quarterback. The six-year veteran came into the season as the clear third string quarterback. After seeing how well he’s performed through his two starts this season however, as well as the poor performances from the original number two in Mitch Trubisky, both last season and this season, many in Steeler Nation are wondering why Rudolph wasn’t given a chance sooner?
Once given the opportunity, Rudolph has performed admirably in 2023 and put together the best two-game stretch from a Steelers’ quarterback over the last two seasons. During this time, he has completed over 67% of his passes, thrown for 564 yards, while throwing 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The offense put together back to back 30+ point games, a feat they have accomplished only once since the end of the 2021 season prior to Rudolph running the show.
So why was the former Oklahoma State standout only given a chance after Trubisky’s very rough outings? Everyone has their own opinions, but a former Steelers’ running back has his own beliefs on the matter. Merril Hoge, who suited up from 1987-1993 in black and gold, and who has covered the NFL extensively since, believes it is a pretty easy answer. Money.
Hoge joined the 102.5 DVE Morning Show to talk about this topic.
“He [Rudolph] beat Mitch Trubisky out,” when discussing the preseason play of Trubisky and Rudolph. “There was nothing in the preseason that you would say, ‘Yeah, Mitch beat him out.’ The only thing Mitch beat him out on was making more money… That is it, that is it.”
While Hoge’s thought on this is a frustrating one to accept, it is the way the NFL works a lot of the time. Players that have higher levels of investment in them, whether it be contract or draft pick investment, often get more opportunities than players who are on league minimum deals with minimal investment to this point or years into the future.
Trubisky signed quickly with the Steelers after free agency officially opened in 2022 with an opportunity to be the team’s starter, and then signed an extension in the 2023 offseason to become Kenny Pickett’s long term backup. He was also the number two overall pick back in 2017, which means he checks both the draft capital and contract boxes. Rudolph on the other hand was floating around free agency for a few months this past offseason before eventually re-signing with the Steelers for the league minimum, while Trubisky got paid $8 million in cash this year between signing bonus and salary.
Not everyone shared Hoge’s opinion here however, as Mike Prisuta, who is part of the DVE Morning Show crew stated he believed Trubisky performed better than Rudolph in the preseason and that is why he was rewarded by being the primary backup to Pickett.
During the 2022 offseason, Rudolph performed very well throughout the summer and training camp, which led to some even saying he was the best quarterback throughout the offseason. It was supposedly a three-way battle with everyone getting a fair shot, but obviously that wasn’t the case as Rudolph quickly found himself third on the depth chart, despite a good showing. This past offseason, the information around Rudolph was a little more muddied as most were focused on Pickett’s development and how he would look since he was the clear starter going into the process.
Steelers Need To Prioritize Mason Rudolph In 2024 Offseason
Heading into the Week 18 regular season finale against the division rival Baltimore Ravens, Rudolph has already been named the starter in what is a must-win game if they want any realistic shot of making the playoffs. If they are able to make the playoffs with Rudolph winning the season’s final three games, it is clear the Steelers would need to prioritize keeping Rudolph in the Steel City next season. Even if he isn’t given the keys to be the starter in 2024, it is clear he can be a more than capable backup in the league at a minimum.
