Former OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph back with Steelers

Former Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph is signing a two-year contract with the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The initial report on Rudolph's contract has it at two years and $8 million, with $4.5 million guaranteed, putting him in the middle of the market for backup quarterbacks.

Mason Rudolph saved the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 season, and he might be called back to Pittsburgh now to help solve the team's current quarterback situation. 

The Steelers reached out to Rudolph about a possible reunion, according to DKPittsburghSports, after Pittsburgh lost Justin Fields in free agency and are reportedly in discussions with Aaron Rodgers. Russell Wilson, who went 6-6 as Pittsburgh's starter in 2024 (including the postseason), is also still an option for Pittsburgh if things fall through with Rodgers. 

The report stated that Rudolph would potentially be brought back to be part of the solution regarding the Steelers' quarterback situation. At this point, it appears that Rudolph would back up Rodgers if the Steelers sign both players. If the Steelers don't sign Rodgers, however, it's conceivable to think that Rudolph would get a chance to win the starting job, an opportunity that was never really afforded to him during his first go-around in Pittsburgh. 

Previous years in Pittsburgh

Rudolph, 29, was taken by the Steelers in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft to possibly be Ben Roethlisberger's successor. Rudolph didn't play as a rookie, but he went 5-3 as Pittsburgh's starter in 2019 when Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. Rudolph made the just starts the following two seasons before he led the Steelers to three consecutive wins to close out the 2023 season. 

Last year in Tennessee he went 1-4 as a starter while completing 64.0 percent of his passes for 6.7 YPA (with nine TDs and nine INTs on 228 pass attempts).

OSU

The winningest quarterback in Oklahoma State history, he led the Cowboys to a 32-9 record as a starter. He set an impressive 54 school records, including both single-season and career records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, and pass efficiency. With 13,618 career passing yards, he ranks fourth in Big 12 history, and his 324.2 passing yards per game places him third in the conference.