Mason Rudolph over Aaron Rodgers? Steelers starter indicates preference on Pittsburgh’s QB situation

As “Aaron Rodgers Watch” continues for the Pittsburgh Steelers, starting center Zach Frazier has made his opinion on the matter clear as the team finishes its first week of OTAs. 

“Chemistry is important, I’ll say that,” Frazier said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

You can’t develop chemistry if you’re not there, so one could infer that a player like Mason Rudolph would be Frazier’s preference at this point when it comes to Pittsburgh’s QB1. While Rodgers remains unsigned, Rudolph was present during the first week of OTAs and has been heavily involved with the team since he resigned with the team back in March. 

“[Rudolph’s] an elite quarterback, really locked in and bought in,” said Steelers second-year receiver Roman Wilson. “Everyone likes him a lot. He’s a good dude.”

“I love Mason,” added Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, who was teammates with Rudolph during the quarterback’s first go-around in Pittsburgh. “He’s a hell of a guy, hell of a teammate. Great locker room guy. … We have all the faith in him.”

While he clearly has the respect and support of his teammates, Rudolph is smart enough to realize how the NFL works. If Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh, it’ll essentially be understood that the four-time league MVP and future Hall of Famer will quickly (if not immediately) ascend to the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. Rudolph basically acknowledged as much during a recent interview. 

“I learned a long time ago, the financial compensation will really tell you what’s going to go down as far as the depth chart,” Rudolph said with a smile. “I get that.” 

While Rodgers’ status (and likely salary) would undoubtedly lead to him supplanting Rudolph as QB1 if he signs with Pittsburgh, that doesn’t mean that Rudolph’s work so far won’t be all for naught. If Rodgers signs but struggles out of the gate, there could be some immediate calls for Rudolph, who has won his last three regular-season starts for Pittsburgh dating back to the 2023 season. 

While we still don’t know what will happen with Rodgers, one thing that we do know is that Rudolph’s second go-around with the Steelers is off to a good start. 

“It’s great to be back,” Rudolph said earlier this week. “I’m excited. A lot of familiar faces. I don’t need to make any handshakes here. I know most of the media. They’re all good people. … We only have eight more of these practices. Looking forward to it.”