Steelers Could Try To Broker Surprising Reunion: "I Don't Know If He'd Even Consider Coming Back Here After How It Ended"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are living a kind of Groundhog's Day, back looking for a starting quarterback for the team. When the Kenny Pickett experiment failed, they signed Russell Wilson and made a trade for Justin Fields, and they both got a shot at starting. If you look at Wilson's first seven starts, where he went 6-1, he seemed to be the likely choice for 2025 as well. 

There aren't just his first seven games, however; there's also his final five. As for Fields, he played some of his best football in Pittsburgh. While he found ways to win the games and help the season start 4-2, he still struggled in the passing game. 

Longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly, from The Pat McAfee Show, joined The PM Team w/Poni and Mueller on 93.7 The Fan and was asked who he thinks they will try to retain. He believes Fields is more likely to explore the free agency market than Wilson. He added that another candidate might enter the conversation: Mason Rudolph. 

The show hosts asked Kaboly who he thinks Art Rooney II and Mike Tomlin would take if the option was Wilson at $20 million a year or Rudolph returning to the team at $5 million a year.

"I think he defers, but first, he'd have to sign off on the amount, but I think he'd leave the decision up to Mike [Tomlin]," explained Kaboly. "I should reach out, but I have not reached out to Mason yet; I don't know if he'd even consider coming back here after how it ended. He left on some not-so-good terms. They kept saying, 'Ok Mason, stay near your phone, stay near your phone, we like you, we like you. Oh, Russell's signing? Bye.' You can't feel good about yourself if you're Mason Rudolph coming back here."

Rudolph was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2018 to be the backup and possible heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback was not happy to have his replacement on the team, and many feel that he purposely ignored him and refused to help him develop. 

During the 2023 season, Pickett was injured in their Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. At that time, Rudolph was the third-string quarterback behind Mitch Trubisky. After stepping in for Pickett during that game, Trubisky and the Steelers also lost their next two games. Tomlin decided to bench Trubisky and give Rudolph a shot. A "Christmas Miracle" occurred, and Rudolph led the Steelers to win their final three games of the season, earning them a Wild Card spot. Unfortunately, the Steelers were beaten by the Buffalo Bills 31-17 in that game, but it made many fans think that Rudolph was ready to lead the team and that he should return for 2024. 

Rudolph was a free agent, and when the Steelers did not re-sign him, he took a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. Kaboly said he doesn't see how Rudolph could trust Tomlin and the organization after they strung him along and dumped him when they found out Wilson was willing to come to Pittsburgh. But Rudolph will again be a free agent and, at only 29, will be looking for a new home. 

Steelers Have Everyone Confused

Rooney recently told the media that the team aims to retain Wilson or Fields. He didn't give away much more, considering free agency doesn't begin until March. While either quarterback could sign a deal with Pittsburgh before then, they aren't free to explore other team's offers quite yet. 

Insider Adam Schefter from ESPN recently said on an episode of Get Up that the team is leaning toward Wilson. The key will be if the team can work out a mutually beneficial contract for him. Kaboly said the Steelers are desperate and will likely have to pay either one a little more than they want to. 

Do you think that Rudolph would want to return to Pittsburgh? Tell us what you think below! 

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