Steelers Could Bring Back Familiar QB

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are deciding who their starting quarterback will be in 2025, and seemingly have Justin Fields tabbed as their favorite. Russell Wilson is also in the mix, and has started the conversation with the team about what's next. But behind either of them, the team will need to add a backup, and an interesting name could make a return to fill the role.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac reported that the Steelers are narrowing their quarterback consideration, and favor Fields over Wilson or any other option. Behind Fields, the team has Skylar Thompson, who they signed to a futures/reserve deal, but he'll likely operate as a QB3. As the No. 2, Pittsburgh could look at a veteran option, which may include the return of Mason Rudolph.

"They have always preferred having a No. 2 quarterback with extensive experience, players such as Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, Mitch Trubisky and even Fields himself. [Kyle] Allen is a good addition to the quarterback room, but he has started just four games the past five seasons and just 19 in his seven-year career," Dulac writes.

"... The best addition would be [Daniel] Jones, the former New York Giants quarterback. And would the Steelers consider another reunion with Mason Rudolph?" he adds.

Rudolph is 9-8-1 as a starter during his NFL career, going 8-4-1 during his time in Pittsburgh. The Steelers' former third-round pick spent the first five years of his career with the team before signing a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans in 2024. He went 1-4 as a starter this past season, throwing for 1,530 yards and nine touchdowns to nine interceptions.

Rudolph was always helpful in the quarterback room when with Pittsburgh, and eventually won the team over by claiming the starting job late in 2023 when stepping in for an injured Kenny Pickett. So much so, that the Steelers kept Rudolph as the starter for their Wild Card game, making Pickett the backup despite being healthy.

A return to Pittsburgh is certainly a possibility, and if Rudolph is looking for a place in a locker room with a solidified role, he'll find one with the Steelers.

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