Steelers' Coaches Love Aaron Rodgers Over Mason Rudolph For 1 Major Reason

Are you purchasing Steelers tickets this season? If you are then you need to download the TickPick app for the best prices on tickets! We also have a special offer for all of you! Use code STEELERS20 for $20 off your order of any Steelers tickets during the 2025 NFL season. Don't wait! Go grab the best seats at the best price at TickPick!

The Pittsburgh Steelers could have a slight quarterback controversy on their hands, at least with the fan base. Aaron Rodgers has not played well in recent weeks, and Mason Rudolph finally got the chance to step in after the 41-year-old suffered a broken wrist in Pittsburgh's Week 11 win. Currently, Rodgers is trying to push to play in the team's upcoming Week 12 game, but with how well Rudolph looked in the previous win, many fans are clamoring for him to be the signal-caller no matter what. 

While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, insider Ray Fittipaldo explained why the Steelers love Rodgers so much more than Rudolph, and how it's really only one thing that separates the two.

"I think where the big gap comes is what Aaron can do at the line of scrimmage," Fittipaldo said. "He has a very liberal leeway in terms of changing plays at the line of scrimmage, getting the team into better plays, so just his wealth of knowledge and experience is what separates him from Mason."

Fittipaldo later mentioned that there are not really any other gaps between the two quarterbacks. The Steelers specifically wanted to bring Rodgers in for his high football IQ, and he most likely would not have signed if the coaching staff would restrict his right to change plays at the line of scrimmage. The play-caller doesn't always give out the right orders, so someone like the four-time MVP could come in and help him out in that regard. 

Ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have been very restrictive on letting their quarterbacks call out audibles at the line of scrimmage. There has not been that trust between the two sides to allow that to happen smoothly, but with Rodgers under center, they have all the faith in the world that he can make the right calls to put the offense in a position to succeed.

That has certainly been the case with Rudolph as well, despite how long he has been in the league. In fact, if Rudolph does have to start in Week 12, his vocal presence at the line of scrimmage will be something to monitor. He did not have a lot of those freedoms coming off the bench, but with his experience and a full work week with the first-team offense, maybe something could change.

Steelers' Lack Of Trust Could Lead To Issues With Young Quarterbacks

Rodgers most likely will not be on the team after the 2025 season, and the hope in the front office is that they can find their franchise signal-caller in the 2026 NFL Draft. If that happens, restricting his ability to call audibles could hurt him, and it will not only lower his ceiling, but the ceiling of the Steelers as well. Many fans argue that that is exactly what happened to Rudolph in his early days in the Steel City.

Would a rookie/young quarterback make mistakes by calling audibles at the line of scrimmage? Absolutely. However, in many cases, there is no better coach than your own mistakes. If the future passer does not get the chance to try and fail, he will either learn how to do that later than he should, or it may never even happen.

Maybe Will Howard has to suit up and play some games in 2026. He has had a lot of coaching from Rodgers already, and the expectation is that he will receive more until the veteran retires. If he does have to play, the coaches should give him some sort of freedom to try calling out audibles and fixing things at the line of scrimmage. If not, it won't be hard for the team to justify replacing him.

What do you think about audibles being the big difference between Rudolph and Rodgers? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

#SteelerNation