The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ decision to carry four quarterbacks looked unusual when the season started. Two weeks in, it may have created a trade chip at exactly the right time.
Mason Rudolph is again being floated as a player Pittsburgh could move, and a major injury elsewhere has created a logical landing spot. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed the New York Giants as a potential suitor for Rudolph after Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season.
Knox projected Rudolph’s trade value at a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick.
Steelers could find Mason Rudolph trade market after Dart injury
Rudolph has spent most of 2026 behind Aaron Rodgers on Pittsburgh’s depth chart, but the Steelers also kept second-year quarterback Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar on the 53-man roster.
That depth has made Rudolph expendable in trade speculation for weeks.
“According to NFL reporter Jason La Canfora, they’ve been open to moving Rudolph if they can find an interested team,” Knox wrote.
Casino.org’s Jason La Canfora previously reported that Pittsburgh’s willingness wasn’t the issue.
“The one thing stopping this is not Pittsburgh’s willingness to sell, it’s the number of quarterbacks potentially available across the league which could make finding a deal more difficult,” La Canfora wrote.
The market may be changing quickly.
Dart injured his knee on New York’s opening possession in Monday night’s 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Multiple NFL insiders reported Tuesday that testing revealed a more serious injury than initially feared and that Dart could miss the remainder of the season.
Giants coach John Harbaugh said evaluations were still ongoing Tuesday and stopped short of confirming a timetable.
That leaves Jameis Winston as the Giants’ next option. Winston completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards with an interception after replacing Dart against Los Angeles. New York also has Jake Haener on its practice squad.
New York signed Winston to a two-year, $13 million extension earlier this month, so Rudolph wouldn’t necessarily arrive as the starter. But Dart’s uncertain timeline could still force the Giants to add another experienced arm.
Mason Rudolph trade would give Giants another experienced option
Rudolph isn’t a long-term solution, but that isn’t what New York would necessarily be shopping for if Dart misses extended time.
The 31-year-old has 19 regular-season starts and one playoff start. He has completed 64.3% of his career passes for 4,925 yards, 30 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
Knox believes that experience could finally give Pittsburgh an opening to turn its crowded quarterback room into draft capital.
“With quarterback injuries mounting around the NFL, Pittsburgh might get the opportunity to get something in return for Rudolph,” Knox wrote. “The list of Week 1 starters we’ve seen injured now includes Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, Jaxson Dart, and Caleb Williams.”
Pittsburgh would have to decide whether a late-round pick is worth losing its most experienced backup behind Rodgers. Rudolph remains No. 2 on the Steelers’ official depth chart, ahead of Howard and Allar.
Still, Pittsburgh kept four quarterbacks for a reason, and the trade market has changed since roster cuts.
If the Steelers truly are willing to move Rudolph, Dart’s injury may have just given them the type of buyer they were waiting for.
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