Getty Mason Rudolph was considering a career change before re-signing with the Steelers during the offseason.
Things can change pretty quickly in the NFL. Between injuries and poor play, we’ve seen quarterbacks across the league getting unexpected opportunities this season. This past weekend, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph took full advantage of his opportunity.
In his first start since 2021, Rudolph threw for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Steelers to a 34-11 victory over the Bengals.
However, there was a point during the 2023 offseason that Rudolph thought he may not get that opportunity again. While speaking to the media on December 27th, Rudolph revealed that he had updated his resume for the first time since his freshman year at Oklahoma State.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I wanted to have a Plan B and think about a Plan B a bit,” he said. “Your whole life you’re doing one thing and your head is down and you’re just ‘I’m not going to think about it’. I had a little bit of time to talk to my family about what I might be interested in and I still had a lot of confidence that I was going to get an opportunity somewhere…”
Luckily for the Steelers, they were the team that gave him that opportunity and now he is leading their final push for the playoffs.
Why Another Year In Pittsburgh Wasn’t A Sure Thing
When the Steelers drafted Rudolph with a third-round pick back in 2018, he was expected to stick around on the team’s roster for a while and that he might even develop into a starter to take over once Ben Roethlisberger retired.
His turn under center ended up coming earlier than expected. In his second season, Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury during Week 2.
Rudolph ended up with a 5-3 record as the starter, but his performances were a mixed bag and he ended up getting benched for Devlin Hodges in Week 12.
After a couple of years making spot starts, Rudolph never saw the field in 2022 despite the team struggling at the QB position.
He even received support from star receiver Diontae Johnson, but playing time never came.
That left many thinking the Steelers could let him leave during the offseason as the top 2 spots at QB were already occupied on their depth chart. Instead, they brought him back on a 1-year deal worth a little over $1 million.
Rudolph Might Not Need To Update His Resume Again Next Offseason
Right now, Rudolph has an opportunity to secure a job for himself behind the current season. He is already expected to be the starter for the Steelers when they take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.
If he puts in another solid performance, the Steelers will likely stick with him until their season comes to an end.
However the next couple of play out, it seems unlikely that Mitch Trubisky will be on the team’s roster in 2024. He hasn’t played well in either of his 2 seasons with the team, was just benched again, and the team can save just under $3 million in cap space if they cut him after this season.
That would open up a roster spot that Rudolph can make his if he performs well over the next couple of weeks.
Then he could spend next offseason battling Kenny Pickett for the starting job instead of spending it thinking about a career in commercial real estate.