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As the Pittsburgh Steelers wait to hear back from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph is returning to the Steel City on a two-year, $8 million deal, a league source confirmed.
The Steelers are still waiting to hear back from Aaron Rodgers. https://t.co/Wge4ZPxDLI
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 13, 2025
Presumably, Rudolph is signed to be the backup, but he does present a fallback option should the pursuit of Rodgers not pan out and if Russell Wilson (last year’s primary starter) goes elsewhere. Wilson is taking visits with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants this week, according to league sources. Justin Fields, who started six games and then served as Wilson’s backup in 2024, agreed to terms with the New York Jets on Monday.
Rudolph, 29, spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Steelers before joining the Tennessee Titans on a one-year deal last offseason. He started five games in Tennessee, going 1-4, and appeared in eight contests, totaling 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
With the Steelers, Rudolph was the backup to Ben Roethlisberger for several seasons before seeing his position on the depth chart fluctuate as the team sorted through different passers — Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett — in the post-Roethlisberger era. Across 21 appearances with Pittsburgh, Rudolph completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 3,085 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Over the weekend, Pittsburgh traded for wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. The Steelers also added running back Kenneth Gainwell as starting running back Najee Harris agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers. On the defensive side, the team agreed to terms with cornerbacks Darius Slay and Brandin Echols.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)
