Steelers fortify QB room, bring back longtime backup Mason Rudolph to 1-year deal

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Rudolph is staying with the Pittsburgh Steelers after all.

Pittsburgh signed the longtime backup quarterback to a one-year deal on Wednesday, a somewhat unlikely return after Rudolph was essentially passed over twice for the chance to become the starter following Ben Roethlisberger's retirement after the 2021 season.

The Steelers selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft and he went 5-4-1 while making intermittent starts between the 2019 and 2021 seasons, throwing for 2,366 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

While head coach Mike Tomlin and then-general manager Kevin Colbert both said they felt Rudolph could be a full-time starter in the NFL after Roethlisberger retired, the club signed Mitch Trubisky to a two-year deal in the spring of 2022, then drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft.

Rudolph spent the majority of last season as the third-string quarterback and was inactive on gamedays.

He entered the free-agent market in March but with organized team activities beginning later this month and seemingly little opportunity elsewhere in the offing, decided to come back to Pittsburgh as a security blanket of sorts behind Pickett and Trubisky.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL