For the first time since joining the Tennessee Titans in March, Mason Rudolph spoke to the Tennessee media at OTAs about his late-season surge last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The stellar play earned Rudolph a one-year, $3.62 million contract to be the backup to second-year quarterback Will Levis.
“Got an opportunity to play and loved it. Had a lot of fun. I’ve got a lot of great relationships with the guys in Pittsburgh and we were able to clinch a playoff berth. Didn’t get it done, didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked in the Wild Card game but I was happy with the way I played, the way we played. “I felt like we kind of fed off each other there at the end. I’m excited to be here now with this group,” Rudolph said, via Buck Reising of A to Z Sports.
Rudolph, 28, was drafted in the third round by the Steelers out of Oklahoma State in 2018. He spent six seasons in Pittsburgh, playing in 21 games and making 13 starts. In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Rudolph completed 63.5% of his passes for 3,085 yards, 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 86.9.
His most extensive playing time came in 2019, when he was the backup to Ben Roethlisberger and was thrust into a starting role when Roethlisberger was lost for the season to an elbow injury in the first half of Week 2.
Rudolph started eight games and completed 176 of 283 passes (62.2%) for 1,765 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and an 82.0 passer rating. Rudolph dealt with two injuries of his own that forced him from action, and he was benched at one point during the season for former fourth-stringer Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
Mason Rudolph career was at a crossroad in 2023. He even admitted that he thought about his life’s work, complementing retirement and pursuing a career in commercial real estate. All it took was one chance for Rudolph to resurrect his career. After replacing Mitch Trubisky in Week 16, he completed 55 of 75 (74.3%) for 719 yards (10.5 yards per attempt) and a 118.0 quarterback rating. He led the Steelers to three straight victories and a playoff spot, before losing in the Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills.
