Mike Tomlin earned a reputation for being a player’s coach during his 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Mason Rudolph pretty much confirmed that with a message he delivered to the former Steelers head coach at the beginning of Super Bowl week.
Rudolph penned a heartfelt post on X to Mike Tomlin, thanking him for his impact on his career and so many of his teammates’s NFL tenures.
“William & Marty’s finest. Nineteen seasons, 200 wins, two Super Bowl appearances and a Lombardi trophy at age 36. A gold jacket career by any measure,” wrote Rudolph.
“Despite coaching thousands of players — you made time for real conversations with all of us. You cared enough to ask about our parents, grandparents, girlfriends, waves, and so many more. Practice squad, or starter, it never mattered to you.
“You drafted me, taught me, challenged me, stayed patient with me, celebrated with me, and most importantly, you kept the same positive energy, win or lose, and never blinked. You were the unwavering rock for our team, and it was a privilege to call you my head coach for seven seasons.”
Rudolph concluded his message sharing what it will truly be like next season without Tomlin on the sideline.
“I will miss our constant banter, your witty one-liners, and the Denzel Washington-like swagger you carried on Sundays. To the biggest, baddest, most boisterous personality I will likely ever know — Thank you, Mike T.”
Despite coaching thousands of players — you made time for real conversations with all of us. You cared enough to ask about our
Mason Rudolph Publicly Thanks Mike Tomlin
Rudolph’s thank you post to Tomlin is noteworthy because of how rocky the quarterback’s tenure in Pittsburgh has been at times.
The Steelers selected Rudolph at No. 76 overall in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. At the time, pundits saw him as a potential Ben Roethlisberger replacement.
Pundits criticized Rudolph’s rookie development, though, as he didn’t get many practice repetitions in 2018 as the team’s QB3. He may not have received much mentoring from Roethlisberger either. The veteran quarterback was highly critical of drafting Rudolph in the third round.
Then when Rudolph received his first chance to play in 2019, he struggled. Tomlin benched him in favor of flash-in-the-pan NFL success Duck Hodges.
Rudolph returned to the field in a key Week 16 matchup. But he suffered an injury which ended his season.
After Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers buried Rudolph on their depth chart behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. Following nearly two seasons as QB3, Tomlin turned to Rudolph, though, with the Steelers sitting at 7-7 in December 2023.
Rudolph led the team to a 3-0 mark behind the best quarterback play for the Steelers in years. But despite taking the team to the playoffs, the team didn’t bother to re-sign Rudolph.
Instead, Rudolph left in free agency, and the Steelers traded Pickett after signing Russell Wilson.
Rudolph Entering Final Year of Steelers Contract
Rudolph, though, didn’t stay away from the Steelers for long. After a year with the Tennessee Titans in which he went 1-4 as a starter, Rudolph signed a 2-year deal to come back to Pittsburgh.
It was a clear sign there was no remaining ill-will between the quarterback, head coach or organization.
The Steelers signed Rudolph when they had no other quarterbacks on their roster. But Rudolph appeared to be poised for a backup role from the start. The Steelers eventually signed Aaron Rodgers.
Rudolph made one start in 2025. He completed 73.1% of his passes in five appearances, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. He averaged six yards per pass. Rudolph, though, lost his only start.
Like every Steelers player on the roster, the quarterback will play for his first different head coach in Pittsburgh other than Tomlin in 2026. Rudolph has one year remaining on his current contract.
Steelers’ Mason Rudolph Issues Strong Message to Mike Tomlin Before Super Bowl