3 reasons why Rudolph must be the Steelers QB in 2024 (and 1 reason he shouldn't be)

Steelers may not want to pay Rudolph

My lone issue with Rudolph being given the keys to the car is because he will need a new contract from the Steelers to play here. For a normal position, this wouldn’t be the biggest issue, as you could find a reasonable price to have a veteran come in and compete. Quarterback is a different story.

Mediocre quarterbacks get paid 40 million dollars a season, while premiere backups make close to 10 million a season. Rudolph certainly won’t be in the low-tier starter category for money, but he will likely fetch a reasonably high price for his services given his strong stretch of play.

He could easily get a deal similar to what Trubisky initially got when the team wanted him to be the transitional option. That would be somewhere around 7-8 million a season. No, this doesn’t break the bank, but it does take resources away from other positions of need.

Had Rudolph been on a multi-year deal with a reasonable price tag, I would have zero issues with him getting the nod as the starter. Heck, I wanted him to be the transitional quarterback a few years ago instead of signing Trubisky. That said, however minor it may be, his contract is the only thing that has me hesitating from turning the team over to him next year.

The Steelers quarterback room is far from settled, but based on his play and the positional outlook for next year, Rudolph needs to be the guy moving forward. Pickett can still compete to earn that spot, but barring a meltdown, this should be Rudolph’s team in 2024.