Getty The Steelers are thinking twice before they make a Mason Rudolph trade.
The Pittsburgh Steelers might not make a trade after all.
As the Steelers head into final cuts before the 53-man roster deadline on Tuesday, August 30, Mason Rudolph is the odd man out in Pittsburgh’s three-headed race at quarterback between himself, Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett. Although Rudolph’s name has been linked in trade rumors, Pittsburgh is “reluctant” to trade their veteran quarterback, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“The Steelers have received trade calls on QB Mason Rudolph, but to this point they’ve been reluctant to deal him, per sources. Rudolph is on the books for just $3 million this season and Pittsburgh isn’t giving him away, even if he’s 3rd behind Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett,” says Pelissero.
Steelers’ Starting QB Gig Between Trubisky and Pickett
Head coach Mike Tomlin has yet to announce an official starting quarterback for the season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals. However, it’s likely a two-headed battle between Trubisky and Pickett. Following the Steelers’ preseason finale versus the Detroit Lions, Tomlin said Pittsburgh has yet to make a decision in regard to their starting QB.
“I might, but you’re not going to have that today,” Tomlin said. “Like I told you guys the other week, we’re not going to make knee-jerk reactions and statements following a performance. We’ll go through our proper, professional procedure. We’ll evaluate the game. We’ll meet with our front office people. We’ll have discussions. We’ll talk internally. We’ll talk external possibilities. We’ll go through our normal procedure this time of year, and we’ll disclose it to you at our leisure, to be quite honest with you.”
The 27-year-old Rudolph enters his fifth season with the Steelers, with both Trubisky and Pickett entering their first seasons in Pittsburgh. Rudolph actually ended the preseason as one of the better performers, finishing with final stats of 26-for-39 for 220 yards, two touchdowns, a 66.7 completion rate and a 98.2 quarterback rating.
However, both Pickett and Trubisky performed even better than Rudolph, with the former posting a 124.7 quarterback rating and the latter posting a 115.2 quarterback rating.
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Why the Steelers Would Retain Rudolph
Making matters even more difficult for Rudolph is that after beginning training camp taking second-team reps, he’s been relegated to third-team work in camp and preseason games.
“I think (the experience of moving around between offensive units) only hardens you, it only makes you better,” said Rudolph following the Steelers’ second preseason game. “Just being adaptable, going back and forth and mesh with other teammates that you might not get to play with had you stayed with the first or second group. I can’t control it, but I was happy with the guys and the way we meshed tonight.”
The Detroit Lions had previously been mentioned as a potential trade destination for Rudolph.
“A former NFL GM told me he thinks Mason Rudolph could be traded to the Lions by the end of the week,” said Fillipponi on August 15.
Considering Trubisky has experience in offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s offense, it appears they’re willing to keep the veteran quarterback around until Trubisky or Pickett show they’re comfortable during the regular season.
With the Steelers entering their first season without Ben Roethlisberger since 2003, it appears Pittsburgh is holding off — for now — on a trade involving Rudolph.