Mason Rudolph is an unrestricted free agent for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a big decision to make at the quarterback position this offseason.
team can either sign or trade for a veteran that will supplant Kenny Pickett as the starter, or they can bring in a veteran to challenge him for the role in training camp.
Among the best veteran options to challenge Pickett is Mason Rudolph, who already has a lot of support within the Steelers organization.
“If the Steelers want Rudolph back to compete with Kenny Pickett for the starter job legitimately, they can surely make that happen before the opening of free agency. All it would take is an offer that Rudolph couldn’t refuse along with a scout’s honor promise that there would be an open competition,” The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly writes.
“Both of those things land squarely on the organization, and if you listen to Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II, they want to re-sign Rudolph, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Pickett and Rudolph’s strong finish to the season.”
Rudolph confirms that there will be competition for Pickett in training camp, and there should be at a minimum. The Steelers drafted Pickett in the first round to be their guy moving forward, and he hasn’t done enough to seal that job two years into his career.
If the Steelers dropped the Pickett era already by trading or signing a different veteran that would expect to start, I don’t think many would criticize Pittsburgh for the move.
Ultimately, either Pickett needs to improve, or someone needs to give him some heat — and Rudolph can provide the pressure.
