The Pittsburgh Steelers are happy to move forward with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback in the event Aaron Rodgers opts against a return to the field.
According to NFL insider Dan Graziano, the Steelers are comfortable with Rudolph as QB1 if Rodgers decides to call it a day after 20 seasons in the league.
However, Rodgers recently dropped a big hint that he’s about to sign with the Steelers during a public Q&A at an event hosted by rapper Mike Stud.
A fan asked the 41-year-old if he’d ever play for the Chicago Bears – to which he replied no – but admitted he could play in the Windy City on a road trip this year.
Why hasn’t Aaron Rodgers signed with the Steelers yet?
Rodgers is delaying his decision due to personal matters. As he revealed on the Joe Rogan Experience recently, there are people close to him dealing with health issues.
WATCH: Aaron Rodgers on the Joe Rogan Experience
The legendary QB, regarded as one of the best of all-time, is coming off arguably the worst season of his career after throwing 28 touchdowns against 11 interceptions with the 5-12 New York Jets in 2024.
He has to prove he can still compete at the highest level in the NFL, especially following a devastating achilles tendon tear in 2023. The Jets offense led by Rodgers finished 24th in the league in yards per game and points per game last year.
Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to Super Bowl glory in the 2010 season and went on to win league MVP on four occasions in 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021.
He has led the NFL in a number of key categories over the years such as:
Touchdown-to-interception ratio (2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021)
Lowest passing interception percentage (2009, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Passer rating (2011, 2012, 2020, 2021)
Touchdown passing percentage (2011, 2012, 2020, 2021)
Total touchdowns (2011, 2016, 2020)
Touchdown passes (2016, 2020)
Yards per attempt (2011)]
Completion percentage (2020)
There is no doubting Rodgers’ greatness, but whether he can still reach those heights is an entirely different matter. His age is catching up to him, as is his body and the Steelers are prepared to move forward with Rudolph in the event of a U-turn.
Steelers happy to move forward with Mason Rudolph as QB1 if Rodgers backs out
Rodgers’ intention of signing with the Steelers has been the league’s worst kept secret this offseason, but Pittsburgh isn’t gonna lose any sleep if it doesn’t happen.
Back in March, the Steelers agreed to a two-year deal with Rudolph to bring their former third-round pick back to the fold after a season with the Tennessee Titans.
The two QBs who started for Pittsburgh last year, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson both moved on to the Big Apple – joining the New York Jets and New York Giants respectively.
In the final season of his first spell with the Steelers, Rudolph took over the starting job late in the year and led the team to a 3-0 finish to advance to the postseason.
The 29-year-old is 8-4-1 in his Steelers career but regressed in his sole season in Tennessee, going 1-4 in five starts when stepping in for an injured Will Levis.
Rudolph played in eight games for the Titans last season, completing 437 of 686 pass attempts (63.7%) for 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.
