PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There he was standing in the Steelers locker room after his hopes of being the starting quarterback were dashed, again. Mason Rudolph reacted Tuesday to another quarterback brought in during his time with the team.
Drafted in 2018, Rudolph was a rookie with Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Dobbs. Duck Hodges played a little in 2019 before Roethlisberger finished his career the next couple of seasons. In 2022, it was finally going to be Mason’s time. The third-round pick with the first-round grade was getting his shot. Enter former number one pick Mitch Trubisky and the following month the Steelers used the first-round pick on Kenny Pickett. Even after he signed back this year, the Steelers again drafted a quarterback, Will Howard in the sixth round, and now a few days ago added another.
Rudolph acknowledged this one was different. This is a big name with a storied career. A Hall of Famer with a unique personality. So far Mason said Aaron Rodgers has asked a lot of questions and been very friendly.
“You don’t know what to expect anybody you meet someone for the first time,” Rudolph said. “I’ve heard he’s a good teammate from people who have spent time on various teams he’s been on.”
On the field this week you would think Rudolph is the starting quarterback. He’s taking the first-team reps and will for the rest of minicamp. Rodgers told him the plan is to get comfortable with the offense, hang back and get a lot of mental reps. And make no mistake, Tomlin isn’t playing any games, Rodgers will be the starter.
“He’s not learning from me, he’s learning from our collective offense and Arthur (Smith),” Rudolph said. “A lot of respect for his career and the kind of person he is. As successful and highly compensated as he is, you don’t have to be friendly and talkative with younger guys, and he is.”
Once again from Mason, no bitter tone. No passive-aggressive comments or negative remarks at all. He doesn’t have a social media burner account making this a tough situation. Rudolph just goes to work in case he gets another opportunity with the Steelers.
He admits he’s seen posts or heard comments from fans wanting him to finally get his shot to be the starter. Thinking the 29-year-old could be the next Sam Darnold or Geno Smith. He’s appreciative, but tries not to ride the wave of the fans, saying if you ride that wave, you’ll die too early.
“I’ve grown to love Steelers Nation,” Rudolph said. “You just have to respect the tenacity and just how fanatic. I’ve been in the outhouse and the penthouse at times, but that’s not the case everywhere. You talk to other guys across the league, there is only a handful of franchises that have this rabid a fan base. They live and die by it, that’s the kind of fans you want.”
When he’s been passed over or not performed, Rudolph just came back to work. Not looking for excuses, but working hard at whatever role he has. He’s earned the respect of his teammates and hopefully that rabid fan base.