Mason Rudolph jerseys elusive for Steelers fans

Looking for a Mason Rudolph jersey? Good luck, Steelers fans.

With just a few days until the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card playoff game, Rudolph No. 2 jerseys are scarce in and around the city.

As of Thursday, the only known Rudolph jerseys available for purchase are at the Steelers Pro Shop in Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore and on its online site.

There were a couple dozen jerseys still available in person and online — its total inventory — according to the pro shop. They include the Mason Rudolph replica throwbacks and the replica color rush jerseys, as well as home and away jerseys. They range from $64.95 to $399.95, depending on size and style.

The Steelers Pro Shop is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and makes custom jerseys in-house.

Just down the street at Rally House North Shore, Talia Johnson, an assistant manager in training, said No. 2 is sold out. The store had a few until Rudolph got on a hot streak over the past few weeks in place of quarterback Kenny Pickett.

“They … stuck around until (the) last couple of games, when he actually started to play,” she said.

Rally House North Shore doesn’t carry any other Rudolph merchandise as of now, according to Johnson. She said she doesn’t know when or if the store will restock the No. 2 jerseys.

The lack of jerseys hasn’t stopped Steelers fans from coming in to ask Johnson about them. She said one customer arrived 20 minutes before the store opened ahead of the Baltimore game hoping to snag a jersey.

Yinzers in the Burgh in the Strip District hasn’t had much luck with Rudolph merchandise either.

Tim Piett, store manager, said Yinzers hasn’t carried Rudolph jerseys at all. Like Rally House, customers keep asking.

“Nobody expected Rudolph to be in the position he’s in right now, and the jerseys were not produced,” he said.

Piett explained that producing merchandise can take a long time. Yinzers places orders with its manufacturer six months ahead of time.

“Right now, we are booking Steelers merchandise for next fall’s season already,” he said. “That’s how early you have to book your merchandise.”

For the rest of this season, he said, Yinzers is trying to get some Rudolph merchandise in, but it looks like it might not be possible.

If Yinzers gets anything, it would be T-shirts, he said.

“It’s really difficult because there (are) certain quantities you have to order,” Piett said. “If you ordered that, and they would lose this weekend, it would be a done deal.”

Heading into next season, though, he said the merchandise will be “up in the air” because Rudolph and Pickett could be vying for the starting quarterback spot. There’s also a chance Rudolph could leave the Steelers via free agency.

“I think Rudolph has done a fantastic job,” Piett said. “I think the Steelers have a very good opportunity here.”