The Pittsburgh Steelers took another crack at finding a franchise quarterback on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Steelers picked Drew Allar at No. 76 overall during the third round.
With that selection, Mason Rudolph might become expendable.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested as much in a post on social media shortly after the Steelers added Allar on Friday night.
“Aaron Rodgers has not yet committed to returning,” Rapoport wrote. “Pittsburgh is open to dealing Mason Rudolph, and Allar joins (for now) QB1 Will Howard.”
If Aaron Rodgers returns, the Steelers will have four quarterbacks on their roster. While that’s fine for the summer, including the training camp and the preseason, it would be unusual for the Steelers to carry four quarterbacks on their active roster during the regular season.
In the event Rodgers comes back, Rudolph will likely be the odd-man out.
Will the Steelers Trade Mason Rudolph?
Although Rapoport’s report was the first time an NFL insider officially named Rudolph a trade candidate this offseason, the idea didn’t come out of left field. Steelers pundits, such as The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, named Rudolph a potential trade candidate this offseason.
Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora argued after the Allar pick, a Rudolph trade might not come to fruition until late August. But Kozora sees the veteran quarterback having value on the trade market.
“Rudolph can be a No. 2 QB,” wrote Kozora. “Won’t get a ton in return but 2027 Day Three pick.”
Just like Allar, the Steelers drafted Rudolph at No. 76 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. At one time, pundits saw Rudolph as Ben Roethlisberger’s eventual replacement.
Rudolph, though, didn’t live up to his draft hype in 2018. That resulted in the Steelers eventually drafting Kenny Pickett and signing Russell Wilson.
In 2024, Rudolph left in free agency. But after a year with the Tennessee Titans, he returned to the Steelers on a 2-year contract last offseason.
Rudolph is 9-9-1 with a 64.4% completion percentage, 30 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in his NFL career. He is 8-5-1 as a starter with the Steelers.
Why Steelers Still Need Rudolph After Selecting Drew Allar
Trading Rudolph makes a lot of sense for the Steelers if they don’t want to carry four quarterbacks. Really, he’s the only choice behind center for a trade. If Rodgers returns, he will be the team’s starter while Howard and Allar are each young, developing signal-callers.
But Rudolph isn’t a slam dunk trade option.
For one thing, Rodgers has yet to re-sign. The Steelers aren’t going to move on from their most experience signal-caller currently on the roster until Rodgers signs a new contract.
Secondly, if the Steelers trade Rudolph, they would have two backups with zero NFL experience. That might not be the wisest move with a 42-year-old starting quarterback.
If Rodgers returned to start and suffers an injury, without Rudolph, the Steelers would have to turn to a signal-caller who has never played before to save their 2026 campaign.
Last season, Rudolph appeared in five contests, starting one of them. He completed 38 of 52 passes (73.1%) for 310 yards with two touchdowns and two interception.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Steelers ‘Open to’ QB Trade After Selecting Drew Allar: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.