Pittsburgh Steelers fans have gotten to know Mason Rudolph pretty well in recent years. A former third-round pick by the franchise back in 2018 out of Oklahoma State, Rudolph has spent six of his seven seasons as a professional quarterback with the Steelers organization.
That could be coming to an end. Rudolph is the favorite to win the backup job behind Aaron Rodgers, but it's not going to be a piece of cake for the Steelers veteran. Fans were treated to quite a show from Will Howard and third-round rookie Drew Allar, who both dazzled in Thursday night's preseason opener.
While Still Curtain's own Ryan Pawloski thinks that Rudolph will remain the backup, that might not end up being the case. If Howard and Allar continue to play well and prove they can be viable options behind Rodgers, Rudolph could be an expendable piece on the Steelers' roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may not need Mason Rudolph for much longer
Christopher Kline of FanSided thinks he has just the landing spot for Rudolph, too. In his trade proposal, Kline has the Steelers sending Rudolph to the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round pick in next year's draft.
"Clean and simple. Pittsburgh has two young quarterbacks on the rise in Will Howard and Drew Allar, who figure to compete for the job next summer once Aaron Rodgers retires (perhaps with another rookie thrown into the mix via the well-regarded 2027 NFL Draft class). That makes Mason Rudolph expendable," Kline wrote. "Rudolph has plenty of experience in a backup role and gives Houston three options at quarterback that have started significant NFL games, which is more than can be said about most teams... If all it takes is a sixth-round pick, which is the equivalent of a dart throw in a dark room on board a moving boat, the Texans shouldn't need to think twice about it."
This would actually make sense for both sides. The Steelers might not need Rudolph's services if their other young quarterbacks step up and prove they're up to the task of taking over for Rodgers. The Texans lost Graham Mertz to an ACL injury during their preseason opener, and that now opens things up in their QB3 spot.
C.J. Stroud is the starter in Houston, with Davis Mills also in the quarterback room. Rudolph would give them another solid option to lean on should the Texans commit to this trade.
For the Steelers, receiving anything in return for a backup quarterback should be considered a win. If they believe they're in good hands with either of their young options, they shouldn't hesitate to put Rudolph on the trade block and let Howard and Allar duke it out for the QB2 gig.
It probably won't end up happening, but it's certainly something worth keeping an eye on.
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