Mike Tomlin 'comfortable' if Steelers open season with Mason Rudolph as starting quarterback

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mason Rudolph’s experience as a backup during six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers weighed heavily in his favor when the organization re-signed him after a one-year absence.

Rudolph doesn’t have nearly the resume in a starting role, but coach Mike Tomlin said Monday he is fine with opening the 2025 season with the 29-year-old quarterback.

“That’s why we brought him back,” Tomlin said from the NFL annual meeting at The Breakers. “I’m comfortable with that. We’ve been there before. He’s a very capable guy.”

Tomlin isn’t the only high-ranking member of the organization who feels that way.

“I have a lot of confidence in Mason,” general manager Omar Khan said later Monday.

Rudolph is the fallback option in the event Aaron Rodgers decides against joining the Steelers. As expected, Rodgers and his continued delay in announcing his future dominated the conversation during Tomlin’s 30-minute availability at the annual AFC coaches breakfast.

Tomlin reiterated to national media what he told local reporters a day earlier: He met with Rodgers on March 21 at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex — “We had a real productive day.” — but he did not provide a time frame for when the Steelers expect an announcement from the 41-year-old quarterback on his future.

He also has kept in touch with Rodgers since that meeting but would not divulge details from their conversations.

“I’ll leave that between he and I,” Tomlin said.

NFL Network reported that Rodgers recently had a throwing session with new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf, an indication he intends to play a 21st NFL season.

News of that workout, which broke after Tomlin’s availability, brought a smile to Khan’s face.

“I wasn’t there, but that’s good if that did happen,” Khan said.

While waiting for Rodgers’ decision, Tomlin is confident in Rudolph as a fallback option. In his lone season with the Tennessee Titans, Rudolph began as a backup to Will Levis but ended up making five starts — his most in a season since 2019.

Rudolph went 1-4 in those starts and had an equal number of touchdown passes as interceptions (nine) while playing for a team that was so awful it earned the No. 1 overall draft pick this year. He is 9-8-1 in 18 career starts.

The Steelers were interested in a Rudolph reunion based more upon what he did at the end of the 2023 season. Pressed into starting duty because of a Kenny Pickett injury and Mitch Trubisky’s ineffectiveness, Rudolph led the Steelers on a season-ending three-game winning streak that helped them secure the final wild-card playoff berth. Rudolph also started the playoff loss at Buffalo. He completed 74.3% of his attempts that season and threw three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

“Anytime you experience something with somebody, there is growth,” Tomlin said. “I acknowledge it in that regard. Certainly, the way he smiled in the face of adversity and delivered for us was significant, but not that I was shocked by it or didn’t think that was within the framework of his capabilities.”

Added Khan: “Our experience with Mason has been relatively positive, so it made sense.”

Less than two months after Arthur Smith was hired as offensive coordinator, Rudolph signed with Tennessee. He will spend this offseason getting up to speed on Smith’s system.

“Certainly, there is change, but Mason’s not a kid,” Tomlin said. “He’s been around multiple systems and situations. I don’t expect that to be a significant hurdle.”

Tomlin also believes Rudolph’s return will help a locker room that has watched a parade of passers roll through in recent years, including Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last season.

“He’s a good football guy, a good teammate,” Tomlin said. “That’s one of the informal responsibilities of the job, to connect with teammates and lead in a lot of instances. That is a comfortable, natural act for him.”

A year ago at this time, the Steelers had Wilson, Fields and No. 3 quarterback Kyle Allen under contract. As the NFL meetings continue, the only quarterbacks under contract this year are Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.

“I’m real comfortable with being unsettled at this time of the year,” Tomlin said. “It’s about talent acquisition. We’ve got two main means of acquiring talent: free agency and the draft. We multi-task. We do both. … I’ve just learned over the years that at this time of the year, although day-to-day can be uncomfortable, it is a process.”