Mason Rudolph (American football)

On May 23, 2018, the Steelers signed Rudolph to a four-year, $3.92 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $932,264.[25]

Throughout training camp, Rudolph competed against Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs for the backup spot behind Ben Roethlisberger. Head coach Mike Tomlin ultimately named Rudolph the third quarterback, as Jones was released.[26] Rudolph did not receive a single snap in the 2018 season.[27]

Rudolph reacting to being hit in the head by Myles Garrett with his own helmet

During the preseason, Rudolph was named the second quarterback behind Roethlisberger, eclipsing Dobbs after multiple successful preseason performances.[28]

During Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Rudolph relieved an injured Roethlisberger in the second half and threw for 112 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the Steelers narrowly lost by a score of 26–28.[29] Following the announcement that Roethlisberger would miss the rest of the season due to season-ending elbow surgery, Rudolph became the Steelers' starting quarterback.[30] Rudolph made his first NFL start in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers. He threw for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 24–20 road loss.[31] In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Rudolph recorded his first win as a starter with 229 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 27–3 victory.[32] The following week against the Baltimore Ravens, he suffered a concussion after being hit by Ravens safety Earl Thomas and was temporarily knocked unconscious, being relieved by Steelers third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges.[33] Rudolph was cleared from concussion protocol on October 16, 2019.[34] He returned to face the Miami Dolphins and threw for 251 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 27–14 victory.[35]

In Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns, with eight seconds left in regulation, Rudolph was involved in a brawl with several players from both teams. Rudolph completed a pass to running back Trey Edmunds. Myles Garrett of the Browns then tackled Rudolph late, after the pass had been completed.[36] While the two were entangled on the ground, Rudolph pushed down and away on Garrett's helmet to get him off. Garrett then grabbed at Rudolph's helmet and removed it. When Rudolph ran after Garrett, Garrett struck Rudolph in the head with Rudolph's own helmet.[37][38] [39] During and after this altercation, additional players came into the fray and further fighting occurred. Rudolph finished with 221 passing yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions as the Steelers lost 21–7.[40][41] Three players were ejected and later suspended for the incident, particularly Garrett who was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season. For his role in the scuffle, Rudolph was fined $50,000 by the league.[42] Rudolph later declined to file criminal charges, calling the situation an NFL matter.[43] Garrett claimed that Rudolph used a racial slur in the build-up to the altercation, but the NFL investigation found no evidence to support Garrett's claim.[44]

In the following week against the still-winless Bengals, Rudolph struggled again, throwing for 85 yards and an interception before being benched for Devlin Hodges in the third quarter who led the Steelers to a 16–10 comeback victory.[45][46] Two days later, Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin announced that Hodges would remain the starting quarterback for the following week's game against Cleveland.[47] During Week 16 against the New York Jets, Rudolph came into the game after struggles from Hodges in the second quarter, but later suffered a shoulder injury and left the game in the fourth quarter. During the game, Rudolph threw for 129 yards and a touchdown. Without Rudolph, the Steelers lost 10–16.[48] It was revealed that he suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation in the shoulder and was placed on injured reserve on December 24, 2019.[49] Overall, he started in eight out of the ten games in which he appeared, recorded 1,765 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and posted a passer rating of 82.0.[50]

During Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys, Rudolph came into the game in the second quarter after Roethlisberger went to the locker room with an ankle injury.[51] Rudolph completed two of three passes for three yards before Roethlisberger came back in the second half.[52] Rudolph also made appearances in relief of Roethlisberger in the 4th quarter of blowout wins against the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Jacksonville Jaguars.[53][54]

On December 29, 2020, with the Steelers already locking up the AFC North, head coach Mike Tomlin announced that Rudolph would start the season finale against the Cleveland Browns in order to rest Roethlisberger.[55] In that game, Rudolph threw for 315 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 24–22 road loss.[56]

Rudolph signed a one-year contract extension with the Steelers on April 29, 2021.[57] On Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, Rudolph got his first start of the season when Ben Roethlisberger was ruled out with COVID-19.[58] Rudolph threw for 242 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 16–16 tie.[59]

Rudolph was listed behind Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett as QB3. Rudolph was relegated to third-string QB duties throughout the preseason.[60]

Rudolph signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in May 2023.[61][62]