Russell Wilson is joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. The news was announced on Sunday, as the former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos quarterback is set to begin a new chapter of his career. Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph received an update on his Steelers future following the Wilson news, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
“With Russell Wilson coming to Pittsburgh, it's considered unlikely that Mason Rudolph will be back with the Steelers, but the team will leave the door open,” Meirov wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Rudolph, 28, will likely draw a decent amount of interest in free agency. The quarterback has played in Pittsburgh since 2019. After appearing in 10 games during his rookie season, Rudolph saw just 11 games of action from 2020-2023. He did start three contests for the Steelers in 2023, however.
Rudolph should be able to land a job with a team as a backup at the very least. Of course, a reunion with Pittsburgh is not out of the cards. Rudolph expressed a desire to return to the team in January.
“I love the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rudolph said, via Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan. “They have been my only home for six years. We will see what happens. It's not really my decision. A lot of it's out of my control. We will see what happens.”
Steelers going in new direction?
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Kenny Pickett. Pickett displayed signs of being a star last year, but also dealt with inconsistency. The addition of Wilson certainly caught Pickett's attention.
The Steelers now have a starting and backup quarterback, leaving Rudolph's odds of returning slim. Even if Pittsburgh wants to re-sign him, it is possible that Rudolph will prefer to join a team where he is at least the No. 2 QB on the depth chart.
Pittsburgh's quarterback situation will be something to keep an eye on ahead of the 2024 season.