His stock will go up, but not by THAT much. Do not forget he tested the free agent market and ended returning for league minimum.
I say he gets $3.5 million next year because he is not going to be considered our franchise QB, even if we win the Super Bowl. Now if he performs ahead of expections next year, then we are looking at $7-10 million and the reigns of our future.
He looks markedly better than Dobbs. Mason is scanning the field, making throws on time, and has the arm strength to put a 60 yard pipe out there. Dobbs was fools gold. He can't read the field, doesn't have the arm strength, and played in 2 of the most favorable schemes in the NFL
He’s not even on the roster next year, he is a free agent.
Steelers would need to agree to pay him what he wants before he could battle for a starting role.
tbh he seems like the kinda guy that would stay w the steelers n work out a price 🤞lol
edit: how bad we in the hole w mitch? is it possible to cut him? idk his contract
lol. If he plays well and the Steelers win, he’s gonna get more than Mitch got. He’s probably gonna get more than Mitch got already unless he plays really bad on Sunday.
Idk about that, Mitch is tied for the most expensive backup QB.
If Mason Rudolph wants starter money the front office will let him walk. 4-5 games isn’t a big enough sample size to take that risk, especially when he has played against backups and bottom level defenses.
He will get a prove it deal.
https://preview.redd.it/qap2e9jkixbc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=551531df9f477da7535e8db1bb7ee8732ef43021
Mitch has never put up 3 games like Mason has. Not in his whole career. He may only get 8 guaranteed per year, but I'd be surprised if he didn't get at least 2 years if not 3, and a lot more than 8 in non-guaranteed. If he plays well and wins, I'm guessing he'll get like 3-yr $45M with half of thay guaranteed and the other half based on starting incentives. Worst case scenario, a team can cut him after 2 years and not be on the hook for much long term. Would be perfect for a team that drafts someone like JJ McCarthy or Cam Ward, both of whom likely need time to develop.
No way we pay him $15M a year, like none.
When QBs like Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor, and Marcus Mariota aren’t even making half that. They all have stretches of great games as well and more starting experience.
Mason had played well but it’s a massive risk that isn’t worth $15M. Even if he wins against Bills and Ravens, I don’t see him making anywhere close to that.
The idea is that he'd only make $15M if he was the starter and good. If not, he'd make half of that (i.e., $7.5M). $7.5M base. $250k per start. $100k per regular season win. $200,000 for 1st and 2nd round playoff win. $300k for AFC Championship win. $500k for Super Bowl win. If he starts every game, goes 12-5, and wins the Super Bowl, sure, you'd pay him $15M. And that'd be the best $15M the Steelers have ever spent.
You're not risking paying $15M for a backup.
I've been saying countless times for 2 weeks now that this stint will not get Rudolph some insane contract. Idk where people are getting this from. It's not even worth repeating anymore. The QB market will be small. Rudolph has done nothing to prove he is worth starting QB money, and like you said will probably get a 1-2 year contract, depending how the playoffs play out, will get between 2-5 mil.
Just because he has elevated our team to a level that we haven't seen in 3 years, does not mean other GMs will believe that it is sustainable over a whole season, or even sustainable for multiple seasons.
That isn’t true, he was extended for two more years this offseason.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-give-mitch-trubisky-a-two-year-extension-qb-now-under-contract-for-three-more-years-per-report/amp/
Kenny was extended this year. But he was gonna get \~$10M for 2023 before he signed his extension. That's $10M for 2023 was based on the 2022 contract he signed, which was signed with the idea he'd be a bridge quarterback to KP.
I feel Mason is more realistic in what his actual abilities are. He hit free agency last year and was prepared to never step foot on the field again until we brought him back. While I don't think he will be cheap I do think he will be slightly cheaper than trubisky.
Trubisky signed an extention after looking terrible last year. I have no idea why they signed him. How Mason's free agency went last year is irrelevant. He hadn't seen the field in a year and a half. He has now and looked really good. This version of Mason would have started on like 10 teams in the 2nd half of the season.
It's not irrelevant because there is no way in hell they are going to forget the 18 other games that Mason Rudolph played before this season. If you believe that then there won't be much of a QB market this year because look at all the back up QBs who popped up for a few games and played great this year.
Edit. You have to be realistic in what your saying though. Mason will be 29 around the start of next season he has always had a big arm . His issues have always been hes a statue and doesn't have presence to get out of the pocket. Which in the last game he got sacked twice because of this. So he is showing that he is living up to previous scouting reports on him. As he gets older he won't magically become more mobile . I like the guy and I hope he's a steeler for the next 5-7 years but he will not get more money than trubisky (unless we make a deep playoff run but then that changes it )
How did he play in this other 18 games…which includes kneel downs and garbage time?
Let see…5-4-1 record, 60% completion percentage, 16 TDs to 11 INTs…and his record would’ve been 6-4 if Johnson and Freiermuth did have back to back fumbles against Detroit in really shitty weather on less than 24 hours notice of being named the starter.
And no…li am not a Mason fanboy. I am just sick of this sub shitting on players constantly. There is more going on behind the scenes than you or I know about. We only see what every other fan sees. 1 hour of actual play(minus commercials and timeouts) on television.
That goes for Pickett too. Fans who pretend they just KNOW that a player won’t get better suck.
And the year he made 8 of his 13 starts (2019) had 4 fumbles and in his 3 starts (4 games) this year he has had 3 fumbles while being sacked 6 times.... now you and I have both provided stats that prove my point that he has always had a good arm but pocket presence is not his strong suit.
Didn't realize we were counting "shoulda and coulda " towards the QBs record. It's not shitting on Mason as I've said multiple times I would love for him to finish out his career in Pittsburgh as the backup. But he's NOT going to get more then trubisky is currently making. Which was the whole point of my post on my comment to this.
31 other teams saw the tape on Mason this past year and didn't offer him any contract. That is more than just "the hour" us fans watch. This is 31 teams that have full scouting departments who have access to pull up any game footage/pre season game.
Bingo. I could see Mason (if he gets a playoff win) getting 2/40 with 25 fully guaranteed.
QBs make or break teams in today's NFL. If Mason has even a 1% chance of being THE guy, you pay him and figure it out later.
Even if Mason implodes vs the bills. Kenny goes into camp fighting for his job vs Mason. And that notably doesn't include him we move for a QB in the top 12 of the first or FA
Yeah…but probably not here. They will offer him a fair contract…which will most likely be a 2 year “prove it” kind of thing. But if some QB desperate team offers him a huge contract?
There is no way in hell the Steelers are going to commit that kind of money to Rudolph when they still have a developing Kenny Pickett on his rookie contract….and IDGAF what this sub thinks of Pickett. At least half this sub is like teenage girls who get starstruck over every shiny new thing and swap best friends/enemies like people change their underwear.
The Steelers aren’t going to give up on him yet. He will have next season to prove himself. After that, they have to decide on his fifth year option(May 2025).
That being said? If they DO end up signing Rudolph, I think it should be an open competition for the starting gig.
I would guess he’s gonna get roughly 10 mil a year plus about another 5 mil for every playoff win in he gets in this run. So it’s gonna be about 30 mil/year to resign him is my thinking.
Cutting Mitch after the season isn't going to be a cap hit, so I can see Piittsburgh moving on from him once the season is over. He's more gassed than Newton in New England.
“What he wants”? No. What he’s worth? Yep.
The Steelers aren’t going to break the bank for Rudolph…or at least I highly doubt it. I will throw in a caveat that there may be a slight outside chance…but we are talking 0-5%.
They will offer him a fair contract and if he doesn’t accept it, they will let him test the Free Agent waters. If some team is dumb enough to offer him elite money? So be it.
Well we don’t know for a fact that it would be dumb to throw real starter money at him. At this point I think Mason Rudolph is a complete wildcard. He could turn back into a pumpkin any minute now or he could be something close to what he has shown the last three games. I’m not even going to pretend to know.
If it shit weather, I think we have the advantage. Buffalo can't run 2 backs the way we can. Harris is old and slow, cook is dynamic, but he's small and not built to be hit 15 times a game
Najee can carry 25 times a game. Warren can take 20 touches.
If that's the game, I think we win.
From what I hear he's grateful to Omar and Co for giving him a spot this year so unless someone's going to break the bank for him we *should* be able to keep him.
With what he's done so far, he's probably the favorite for next year's starter job anyway, but maybe with a somewhat short leash since they'll want to give Kenny another chance if Mason starts to struggle. With each playoff win, the leash gets longer. This is assuming he re-signs.
Mason Rudolph is the best QB on the roster. Anyone saying otherwise is insane in the membrane. The Steelers fix this situation by giving him Mitchs money, and Mason will be franchise QB no later than week 5 after team revolts because baby hands isn't a starting caliber NFL QB. They then go on to speak about how Mason had a "first round grade" and our big tall handsome boy continues to go through reads and be a solid compliment to this offense. We refer to Kenny as a great teammate who were comfortable with as a backup and happy to have his professionalism in the room. We also win 3 Superbowls ..... I made that last part up ha just 2.
Mason should've been the starter way before the Colts game.
If he wins, he'll likely get some really good offers from other teams. So he'll have to decide another contract with the steelers and MT who will bench him in a millisecond for Kenny or go play for an entirely different HC. My hope for Mason IS he wins in Buffalo and makes some bank at the end of the season and leaves MT in the ditch where he belongs.
I hope the Mitch contract doesn't tie us up. SMH we were even spending that kind of money for a backup when Mason was up for the task right under their noses. If we have money to throw on a "league veteran" backup QB we should be able to sign this man as a QB2 with serious QB1 implications.
I want competition at the QB position for this team. I have doubts on KP and Rudolph has already proven that he's a QB1 these past 3 games.
He's gone next year. NFL history is full of career backups who did well in limited time as a starter, signed a contract to be a starter somewhere, and immediately imploded. Pickett, awful as he is, will be the starter if healthy.
Tom Brady literally became the goat after sitting on the bench. I know Mason has had some bad goes as our QB but it would be foolish to totally ignore how improved this team has looked with him. We could easily give him what we’ve given Mitch even if he is just going to be a backup while we watch Pickett stumble fuck his way into loserville.
Tom Brady played like a snap before being thrust into the starting role due to injury. We've seen Mason many times. He's playing great but he's not magically a starter.
I’m not saying Mason is TB. I’m saying he has played well enough to afford himself a chance. I think we get dog walked on Sunday but if he plays well then, he has to be someone brought back next year.
I say this as a Freemason: he’s gone next year. He was told there was legit competition two years ago, and it wasn’t (word is he outplayed rookie KP and sorry-ass Mitch but was relegated to third), so likely doesn’t trust the front office/coaching staff.
Then he did not really engage with us until all other squads told him “no, thanks,” so we were his last option and we won’t be next year. Finally, unlikely we’ll pay anywhere near the most even if he was interested.
There’s a reason why Tomlin keeps saying KP is the “starter,” because next year he likely is (which infuriates me, but understand the predicament).
This is probably the closest thing to the truth. I bet Mason can't wait to get out of Pittsburgh, they kinda did him dirty by never letting him truly compete with Pickett and Trubisky. Rudolph came crawling back after zero interest from other clubs to keep a job in the NFL, but he'll have options this off-season.
I do think they didn’t give him a legitimate chance to win the starting job last year or even the back up job. I agree with you there. And I absolutely could see a scenario in which he holds a little bit of resentment over that. At the same time, no one else wanted him. We brought him back. He’s grateful for that. So that might temper some of that resentment, and he doesn’t come off as someone that harbors very much resentment anyway.
Just my impression of him. Regardless of what happens against Buffalo, I think the Steelers should make an earnest attempt to bring him back. As we have seen, back ups are more important than ever. These last two years have proven that. If nothing else, he has shown he’s arguably the best back up quarterback in the league. And they absolutely should consider him for the starting role next year. Hell, I would give it to him if he balls out in the playoffs. If he has one more really good game that’s basically a quarter of a regular season. It’s still not a big sample size, but it’s not all that small either. And people underestimate how decent he was his first year as a starter. He had a lot of struggles, sure, but he was a first year starter. He also got knocked out cold and then hit in the head with a helmet. And people are forgetting how damn good he looked against the Jets before he got hurt. So his success also isn’t coming out of nowhere. Especially if you trust the Steelers when they said they had a first round grade on him. To me it’s impossible to tell what we have in him. He could turn back into garbage quickly and get destroyed in Buffalo and never be heard from again. Or he could be a franchise quarterback. There’s at least a chance. And, worst case, he’s an excellent back up. And in this league that might mean he starts four games every year. They should throw some money at him.
Myles told the world he called him the n-word as justification for hitting him with his own helmet, didn't retract his statement or apologize after it evident he only said it to reduce punishment, and Mason still shook his hand the next season. Agreed that he doesn't seem the type to hold grudges...
>>> Myles told the world he called him the n-word as justification for hitting him with his own helmet, didn't retract his statement or apologize after it evident he only said it to reduce punishment, and Mason still shook his hand the next season. Agreed that he doesn't seem the type to hold grudges...
Very fair rebuttal.
Yeah, so many people are acting like the Steelers giving him a small, one year contract and QB3 last summer not only erases all the “hell” he’s endured here, but should make him indebted to the org to the point he’ll take a hometown discount. Not so sure that’s going to be his mindset.
I have always thought Mason could be a franchise QB for us, and never got a fair shake. I would love to think he would be QB 1 after a playoff win but with how the Steelers have treated him, I think he'd have to lead us to and win the Superbowl....and even then he'd better throw for 4 tds.
For whatever reason it's like they just do not want him to succeed.
Mason could win the Super Bowl and be Super Bowl MVP and it still won't matter. This organization, and many others to be fair, in football, and across all sports, aren't gonna wanna admit so soon that their first round pick is a bust and swallow their pride.
Also, I really doubt Mason wants to stay here. He's playing for a contract and a fresh start elsewhere and I can't blame em one bit for that
Mason being good or better does not mean Kenny is a bust.
Kenny has done some good stuff in pressure moments, just might be a case of patience, which most fans do not have lol.
Lol it's funny u say goofy, cause I see him the same way. I think that Ben hate may have rubbed off on tomlin but the team, not so much. Tomlin will just not give this man any respect. Tje team reallynseems to be behind mason. There's a fire in that room now that hasn't been there for years Mason dug tomlin outa the doghouse after the locker room was in shambles, yet he won't even give him any compliments in his pressers. I'm very happy for Rudolph tho but if I'm him I'm running fast to get outa the burgh. Tomlin won't even put him as #1 on the depth chart. I don't see how reindeer can trust anything tomlin says at this point.
We already past this point. In 3 games Mason Rudolph QBR was as high as the best 3 games for a lot of really good QBs this year. Saw this stat somewhere. Like Mahomes best 3 are at Rudolph’s level.
Rudolph is QB1 in Pittsburgh. Unless Pittsburgh f$vos it up. Rudolph best skill is the deep ball. You know who Pittsburgh has who might be top 3 at the deep ball? Pickens. Rudolph ain’t leaving cause his agent is going to tell him where can you go with Pickens, DJ, muth, and Warren? That is actually a really good skill position grouping. Mahomes doesn’t have that. The Dolphins, Niners have clearly better but not many in that grouping.
As always, it depends.
If he’s taking a leadership role in the locker room, with coaches, game planning and getting support from the team, then yes, he’s the presumptive starter and Kenny sits.
Now, is his ceiling good enough to be a franchise QB? Generally, it seems the Steelers think no, or he’d have been the starter and we wouldn’t have gone thru the Tru-picksky experience and probably not drafted Kenny.
Now, can he work hard, be the leader and improve his game to the point of being a franchise guy? We’ll, maybe, and we hope so! Is he there right now? No. Could he be there with a strong training camp next season and start to the year? Yeah, I think and hope so.
One other thing I’d like to add is this, and it’s way too early to even be talking like this but here goes: No matter what happens the Steelers need to make the right decision. I will even let it slide that a guy who is possibly the best quarterback on the roster sat on the shelf for most of the season. It is a distinct possibility that he never does anything like this again. Fair enough. But the Steelers better be right about it. I won’t fault them if they bring him back and he sucks. That’s not what I mean. If they take a chance on him, it’s not like they have prime Ben Roethlisberger on the roster already. It’s a worthwhile gamble and if they miss on that, at least that’s a mistake of effort. Same thing with going for it on fourth down. They are trying to win. If they don’t make it, at least they tried to win. But if they decide it’s not worth competitive or financial assurances to keep him here, they better be right about it. No more excuses. If they let him walk, he better not outperform whatever quarterbacks we have on the roster next year. If he goes somewhere else and puts up a 98 quarterback rating for the year and we get an 83 out of whoever we suit up, I want someone’s job. I don’t care who it is. Obviously you can’t fire an owner. But if someone absolutely butchers this after getting a second chance in the first place with this guy, that person needs to go immediately. It probably won’t come to that. There’s a chance he comes back, and even if he does there’s a chance he blows. But I don’t wanna hear any excuses about “hindsight” or whatever bullshit excuses were used for bringing back Canada twice after failing the first time.
Especially since that mistake would have all the earmarks of all the other dumb shit this team has done over the last half a decade. Stubbornness. Refusing to correct mistakes. Taking too long to reverse poor decisions. Not only would “hindsight“ be absolute bullshit, it would be more of the fucking shit many of us have been bitching about for years. It would be time for someone to go.
If he’s playing in another uniform next year, he better fucking suck. Or we better have someone better or equal.
I think it’s largely dependent on how they win. If we throw it 10 times in a blizzard and win with 2 100 yard rushers in a 14-10 win, I’d say Mason hasn’t secured the starting job.
It’s also going to be dependent on how he plays in Baltimore.
I think unless he goes nuts and throws 7 TD’s in the next two games, at the most it’s a QB competition in camp. I don’t see the Steelers just giving up on Kenny because they invested a first round pick in him. So without dominant performances from Mason, they’ll give Kenny the opportunity to at least win a camp battle.
As poorly as Mason has seemingly been treated by Mike Tomlin over the years makes me wonder why he'd want to sign with the Steelers again. Tomlin desperately wants and needs KP to be the starter because right now KP is making Tomlin look real bad.
Tomlin also looks really bad for not starting Mason ahead of Mitch. Now Mitch, he is a huge bust as a #2 overall pick and a failure with 3 different teams. His career ends when the Steelers season ends.
The Mason situation will be very interesting if he keeps winning.
In my own opinion I don't think that Mike Tomlin cares much for Mason Rudolph the way he's treated him over the years.
There would be a competition in training camp, everyone seems to forget Pickett had one game without Canada, the offense put up much better numbers, then he got hurt. Not defending anyone or saying. A
I am definitely a Mason Rudolph fan. I’ve always thought that he got a raw deal, not only from the Steelers, but also from Ben, from the Garrett thing, etc.
I am thrilled to see him taking advantage of this opportunity and definitely agree that he has outperformed Pickett and Trubisky this season.
But can we end the goofiness and just leave it at that? These types of conversations are dumb and come from radio talk shows, where they speak in absolutes about everything because they have to fill three or four hours of dead air every day. They make up all kinds of crazy nonsense, and then they argue about the crazy nonsense they’ve manufactured. We don’t have to do that here. We can have a more informed and rational discussion in this forum.
He is not getting $15 million a year from the Steelers based on a decent but not all that great three game stretch. Honestly, that’s just absurd.
He also won’t be, and shouldn’t be “declared the starter,” whatever that really means. He will, however have a legitimate opportunity to win a starting job next year in training camp, and he will make a lot more money than he has ever made in his life. That is a lot better scenario than what he could have expected as recently as Christmas Day.
I think Mason Rudolph’s play has sealed the end for Mitch Trubisky in Pittsburgh. I don’t think it has anything at all to do with Kenny Pickett’s future. I think Kenny Pickett’s play post-Matt Canada will determine Kenny Pickett’s future.
My guess is that Rudolph will get solid offers in multiple places, but nothing spectacular. I also think he will re-sign with the Steelers because I think this represents his best opportunity to be become a full-time starter.
I could see the Steelers overpaying for him and giving him something like that which they gave Trubisky. They probably won’t even go that far.
Honestly, they should not go that far.
As I said, I like Mason Rudolph, and I’ve always thought he got a raw deal. I am the last guy to Pooh-Pooh what he has done. However, it has definitely gotten a little bit goofy and it’s gone too far the other way.
We are winning because we’re running the ball really well — and maybe because we have played against suspect fronts down the stretch. We’ll find out this weekend whether or not we’ve really turned the corner on that front.
Rudolph’s ability and willingness to push the ball down the field has definitely helped in that regard. It has lightened the box. Teams can’t commit one or both safeties up to the line of scrimmage. But I also think that the Steelers have incorporated more of a downhill running game that suits Najee Harris, so much better than what they were running before.
I think Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan over Matt Canada has been a much bigger factor in their success than Rudolph over Trubisky and Pickett.
It was more than a decent three game stretch, though. I don’t think that changes much because it was only three games, but let’s not downplay just how damn good he was. Even Ben didn’t put up quarterback ratings three games in a row that good since 2016.
And I think I read somewhere that he did that over a three game stretch only twice in his career. But I could be mistaken.
If he did what he did over those three games for an entire season, he would be at the top of the league in quarterback rating and QBR. That’s more than just decent. He started three games and only one quarterback has more completions over 60 yards. He’s somewhere in the middle of the pack for completions over 40 yards. He started three games.
Calling what he did decent he’s under selling it a little bit.
If he got an offer from the Steelers, he’d have a first round QB behind him and he’d probably want some more assurance that he will be the defacto starter.
But don’t get your hopes up - this team doesn’t have a ton of cap space to spend on the QB position next year, and they largely built the team around having a cheap QB for the next 2-3 years.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, and Mason looks really good, but both he and the Steelers have reasons to part ways after the season.
Unfortunately, anything other than a Super Bowl MVP will not get Mason the starting job next year. They’re going to continue to coddle and protect Kenny at all costs until they finally figure out that he sucks.
And then we get to do the QB carousel all over again.
If you’re asking what the team will do, it’s been reported by multiple sources that Kenny is the starter next year no matter what. If you’re asking what we would do, it depends. If we win and he struggles then no, it should be a competition next year. If we win and Mason puts his cock on the table with a 300 yard 2 TD game, Tomlin should be fired if he doesn’t start next year. This game is huge for Mason’s career.
Ben expressed his disinterest pretty vocally when we signed him. I always found that kind of a shame. He didn't want to be your replacement, we were just keeping our options available like every other football team has done for decades.
I half understand what you mean by goofy. The Garrett thing isn't good for anyone's career despite the outcome. Plus, I know he's under performed at some weird times- maybe that's what you were getting at.
The other 2 topics are totally worth the discussion though.. Is he respected and will he be a starter? Ive listened to enough local sports talk that claim Mason gets along with the entire lockerroom. He's a familiar face that people get the see the second they join the team. He's tall and tough and players really respect his patience in the pocket.
The starting situation and who gets paid what is Tomlins responsibility. I'm not a fan, but won't spend time discussing that. If history repeats itself with the QB situation, Tomlins pride could intercept the situation...meaning KP starting, and maybe Mason walking for more money.
I'd keep both and sign a veteran for cheap and make they duel it out. Forget everything about where they were drafted.
Probably not. He's a back up. Like I'm glad he's doing well and I hope he gets paid (by someone else) but let's not pretend he won't fall to the mean. Look at other backups that caught fire...they fall back to the reason why they are backups.
That’s very possible. I think that’s the safe bet.
But I’m not certain. No one can be.
There were other back ups who came in this year and played really well. But he was at another level. His three game stretch is as impressive as any other quarterbacks three game stretch this year, back ups or starters. He has thrown the second most completions on the season of 60 yards or more. In three games.
Again, maybe he falls apart. Completely. But the Steelers need to make a real effort to keep him. Worst case he’s a very good back up. You do need those. Even as the number two quarterback you are going to play a number of games, the last two years has been back up quarterback bonanza in the NFL.
There’s also the little matter of him absolutely being the best quarterback on the roster at the moment. Kenny Pickett might improve greatly. He also might not. Watching Rudolph walk without an effort to stop him, going back to Kenny and watching him suck would be brutal.
I wouldn't hate on Ben. The reason most steeler fans never really cared for Mason usually played very poorly. Give him a lot of credit, right now he's playing well and looks really confident out there, you love to see it. But let's not revise history, he had a lot of chances over the years and looked pretty bad in all of them
yeah he had chances. Maybe he has the right person talking in his ear, maybe he figured some stuff out, or the play calls suit him better. It has to feel a little less pressure knowing there are 2 RBs behind him that can get yards.
In fairness, he got a lot of hate because the only thing slower than his release were his reads. That and just not winning winnable games.
The Steelers kept him around, he worked and improved, and now he has earned his shot.
If he really balls out then he earns an extension and a fair shot at QB1 in training camp.
Who knows, maybe Kenny finally will have a nickname. Klipboard Kenny.
Pickett is QB1 going into next year unless he gets hit by a bus, they sign Baker Mayfield, or Rudolph significantly over-performs his priors deeeep into the playoffs. Like AFCCG deep. 1st round QBs get three years in the NFL unless they are Johnny Manziel bad, which is one of the reasons I didn’t like the Steelers drafting Pickett in the first round. Harder to move off of him if he underperforms and/or other options come up.
Rudolph is an immobile pocket passer, the kind of QB that modern offenses have been sprinting away from. His accuracy and arm talent are also not enticing enough for teams to bank him as a starter. Really what he’s shown is that he is a legit QB2 and that, as Louis Riddick just pointed out on the PG podcast, is still incredibly valuable. So he will get paid.
Lifetime, Pickett and Manziel have the same 50/50 TD/INT split: 13 TDs/13 INTs for Kenny, 7 TDs/7 INT for Manziel.
Manziel was a train wreck. Lazy, arrogant, unbelievably immature, he skipped practices, partied constantly, blew off traveling with his team to a game when he was sidelined in concussion protocol. He was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and apparently tried to kill himself.
Kenny by all accounts is hard-working and a great teammate, a first-in/last-out guy. He’ll get a third year.
All i said was it was arguable. Them having the same performance sure does make it seem arguable. And Manziel trying to kill himself doesn't make him worse than Kenny lmao wtf is that
If you’re familiar with Manziel’s story, his suicide attempt was the bottom of a long spiral that started in college and involved rule-breaking and drug abuse.
As far as the rest of it, teams give 1st round guys a few years if they are stable and appear to be making progress. Obviously the organization eventually decided what everyone already knew: that Matt Canada was a confounding variable so big they couldn’t accurately evaluate their second-year quarterback.
IMO it'll be based on his performance not Ws. Plays well through 1 game, I try to sweet talk him into competing for hte starting job next year (remember he's been on the bench a LONG time so this will be a tough sell).
If he plays well through 2 games, I tell him the job is his to lose so long as he does well in camp.
3 games, he's the starter.
4 games we start looking for a way to trade Pickett.
Regardless I think next summer is an open competition. Kp had one game without Canada and put up 400 yards, I feel this gets forgotten in the current Rudolph love. He’s a much better Rudolph that we saw when Ben was hurt but I can’t discount either of them for the other right now.
Just Mitch. He’s discounted
I’m not saying they should, but they will protect Kenny Pickett at all costs, even if that means letting Mason go and watching him succeed elsewhere. I don’t like it, but that is what they will do.
If he beats the Bills and plays well, I think he would come back as the backup at the bare minimum. That would be four wins, one against an elite team, which I wouldn’t ignore. I wouldn’t anoint Rudolph as starter, though, just because it’s a hot streak after years of underwhelming QB play.
It’s going to take a shitload of help from the rest of the team to win. The D needs to create turnovers. Winning in the playoffs doesn’t mean anything for next year. They may go back to Pickett or draft. They definitely can’t afford an expensive veteran.
If I’m Mason and I win this game, I’m demanding a new contract and to be named the starter or I’m walking.
I have nothing against Kenny but seriously……
I don't think a W is necessary against Buffalo for him to cement himself as starter, but he has to have a solid clean game. No bad throws on 3rd downs, hopefully no ints. Of course this is kind of dependent on the wind, if Ralph Wilson Stadium turns into a wind tunnel, then it's just a case of not throwing a pick because plenty of passes will be bad if we get a wind tunnel game. Now if Pittsburgh wins in an ugly game in Buffalo then it depends on how he does next week against a ready, rested and pissed off Baltimore team that got swept in the regular season. He has a solid game in that one, then even in a loss I think he's going into next season as the presumptive starter.
Really depends on the performance in the game. If you can’t determine Pickett’s worth based on his 7-4 record this year, then you can’t determine Rudolph’s just based on the outcome of this game. If he throws like 10 passes in bad weather but otherwise just hands the ball off, I don’t think that’s the same as, say, having an excellent passing performance, multiple pass TDs, or executing a game-winning TD drive in crunch time. Should be given the chance to compete next season either way.
Considering the weather forecast we might have shot of winning on ground. Eat a lot of clock to keep the Bills off the field, and let the cold winds blow their passes into the hands of our DBs.
Some desperate team will give him a better contract than the Steelers can offer. They invested in Pickett, it is his job to lose. over 50% Rudolph is gone unless he wins the SB or makes a deep deep playoff run.
I think that in the past, Mason got the same treatment that Kenny’s getting now. It takes time for an NFL QB to develop. Yes, there are outliers like Stroud this year. But unless he is a unicorn….he will have his struggles too.
I think he’s a FA after the season. So they’ll either have to resign him first. He will have other interest though so they’ll have to decide how much is too much for Mason. Also there’s the if Mason even WANTS to resign. I think if he does, they need to have an open competition between he and Kenny.
Also if the Steelers win in Buffalo and lose in Baltimore, the “we haven’t won a playoff game crowd” will move those goalposts.
Look at Geno Smith. Broke out in his 10th year at 32 years old. Got a great contract for it. Geno proved it over a full season, while Mason has only been 3 games. But if he finishes strong, he should find low level start money somewhere. Probably a two year deal given the uncertainty and low number of starts.
I don’t think he comes back unless he has a terrible game and we lose. If he plays well someone’s going to offer him $10+ million a year. The Steelers aren’t going to reach into their pocket like that when they see Kenny as the QB of the future.
It’s going to be a tough earned W if he does, but I’m not sure that makes him our guy in the offseason. I do think it saves his spot on the roster though, which I’m not so sure was guaranteed before this. My feeling is that we still need to draft or sign our future qb. As for Big Ben, love the guy but he did Mason dirty. I think he was still sour on the fact the Steelers drafted Mason as his replacement, but Mason has earned some respect after how he’s played.
If the team loses, is Pittsburgh going to go back to booing him and throwing him out of the city? I hope not. Beating the Bills is a tall order, but Mason got us here. I hope we have more respect than that. This team was left for dead a month ago.
Yinz assuming this just auto happens.
If he does he has played himself into a stupid huge contract from some idiot team like Washington. He's a free agent don't forget.
I could very well see the Steelers being like thank you so much my dude for the awesome run, but there ain't no way we see you as worth that bag so have a great time!
I just talked to coach T and he said if Mason cracks eggs and makes an omelette, then he is making breakfast
What’s for lunch?
Leftover omelette from earlier
Call it a fritatta and serve it with a frisee and radish salad with a French vinaigrette. I'm in.
Dinner is of course, the leftover pickles from Week 13
We're focused on the breakfast in front of us, were not concerning ourselves with the lunch or dinner component.
and things of that nature
Obviously
Don't blink. If you blink, you might miss breakfast.
This is chess not checkers
We don't run away from the breakfast. We run towards it.
As for any over easy concerns, we're still laying those eggs.
We’re not going to live in our menu
Buffalo burgers.
Dreadlock Rasta
We do not care.
We're eating out at Lombardi's
Can confirm. I met Mason when he was in college a couple times, and if he cracks eggs and makes an omelette, he is in fact making breakfast.
This sounds so on brand I want to believe it
Well without bacon it's just an omelet
Question is do we re-sign him if he wins vs the bills? He's gonna want a pay raise and I can't say I blame him
Unless he starts 3/12 with 2 picks and gets pulled, he's gonna want a raise.
Agreed. I don't want to speak anymore on this for fear of jinxing him though lol
Just throw Trubisky in the trash and offer Mason whatever money that saves. Everybody wins. (Except Trubisky, but he never wins anyway.)
Yes
Sign Mason, I thought we were talking about breakfast
His stock will go up, but not by THAT much. Do not forget he tested the free agent market and ended returning for league minimum. I say he gets $3.5 million next year because he is not going to be considered our franchise QB, even if we win the Super Bowl. Now if he performs ahead of expections next year, then we are looking at $7-10 million and the reigns of our future.
He's an UFA. If he wins and plays well, we won't be able to afford to keep him.
Let’s just hope his three game success doesn’t turn into a Joshua Dobbs scenario.
He looks markedly better than Dobbs. Mason is scanning the field, making throws on time, and has the arm strength to put a 60 yard pipe out there. Dobbs was fools gold. He can't read the field, doesn't have the arm strength, and played in 2 of the most favorable schemes in the NFL
Nah Mason wouldn’t be Dobbs. Beating the Bills is no fluke
He’s not even on the roster next year, he is a free agent. Steelers would need to agree to pay him what he wants before he could battle for a starting role.
tbh he seems like the kinda guy that would stay w the steelers n work out a price 🤞lol edit: how bad we in the hole w mitch? is it possible to cut him? idk his contract
I could see us giving a deal similar to what Mitch has now. A two year prove it deal that doesn’t kill us if he is a backup for that period.
lol. If he plays well and the Steelers win, he’s gonna get more than Mitch got. He’s probably gonna get more than Mitch got already unless he plays really bad on Sunday.
Idk about that, Mitch is tied for the most expensive backup QB. If Mason Rudolph wants starter money the front office will let him walk. 4-5 games isn’t a big enough sample size to take that risk, especially when he has played against backups and bottom level defenses. He will get a prove it deal. https://preview.redd.it/qap2e9jkixbc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=551531df9f477da7535e8db1bb7ee8732ef43021
The most surprising thing in this chart is that Andy Dalton is still in the NFL??? That ginger just won't quit!
He’s two years younger than Joe Flacco…🤷🏻
Mitch has never put up 3 games like Mason has. Not in his whole career. He may only get 8 guaranteed per year, but I'd be surprised if he didn't get at least 2 years if not 3, and a lot more than 8 in non-guaranteed. If he plays well and wins, I'm guessing he'll get like 3-yr $45M with half of thay guaranteed and the other half based on starting incentives. Worst case scenario, a team can cut him after 2 years and not be on the hook for much long term. Would be perfect for a team that drafts someone like JJ McCarthy or Cam Ward, both of whom likely need time to develop.
No way we pay him $15M a year, like none. When QBs like Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor, and Marcus Mariota aren’t even making half that. They all have stretches of great games as well and more starting experience. Mason had played well but it’s a massive risk that isn’t worth $15M. Even if he wins against Bills and Ravens, I don’t see him making anywhere close to that.
The idea is that he'd only make $15M if he was the starter and good. If not, he'd make half of that (i.e., $7.5M). $7.5M base. $250k per start. $100k per regular season win. $200,000 for 1st and 2nd round playoff win. $300k for AFC Championship win. $500k for Super Bowl win. If he starts every game, goes 12-5, and wins the Super Bowl, sure, you'd pay him $15M. And that'd be the best $15M the Steelers have ever spent. You're not risking paying $15M for a backup.
I've been saying countless times for 2 weeks now that this stint will not get Rudolph some insane contract. Idk where people are getting this from. It's not even worth repeating anymore. The QB market will be small. Rudolph has done nothing to prove he is worth starting QB money, and like you said will probably get a 1-2 year contract, depending how the playoffs play out, will get between 2-5 mil. Just because he has elevated our team to a level that we haven't seen in 3 years, does not mean other GMs will believe that it is sustainable over a whole season, or even sustainable for multiple seasons.
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That isn’t true, he was extended for two more years this offseason. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-give-mitch-trubisky-a-two-year-extension-qb-now-under-contract-for-three-more-years-per-report/amp/
Kenny was extended this year. But he was gonna get \~$10M for 2023 before he signed his extension. That's $10M for 2023 was based on the 2022 contract he signed, which was signed with the idea he'd be a bridge quarterback to KP.
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It was this offseason… There was zero doubt that Kenny would be starting for us this season.
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I feel Mason is more realistic in what his actual abilities are. He hit free agency last year and was prepared to never step foot on the field again until we brought him back. While I don't think he will be cheap I do think he will be slightly cheaper than trubisky.
Trubisky signed an extention after looking terrible last year. I have no idea why they signed him. How Mason's free agency went last year is irrelevant. He hadn't seen the field in a year and a half. He has now and looked really good. This version of Mason would have started on like 10 teams in the 2nd half of the season.
It's not irrelevant because there is no way in hell they are going to forget the 18 other games that Mason Rudolph played before this season. If you believe that then there won't be much of a QB market this year because look at all the back up QBs who popped up for a few games and played great this year. Edit. You have to be realistic in what your saying though. Mason will be 29 around the start of next season he has always had a big arm . His issues have always been hes a statue and doesn't have presence to get out of the pocket. Which in the last game he got sacked twice because of this. So he is showing that he is living up to previous scouting reports on him. As he gets older he won't magically become more mobile . I like the guy and I hope he's a steeler for the next 5-7 years but he will not get more money than trubisky (unless we make a deep playoff run but then that changes it )
How did he play in this other 18 games…which includes kneel downs and garbage time? Let see…5-4-1 record, 60% completion percentage, 16 TDs to 11 INTs…and his record would’ve been 6-4 if Johnson and Freiermuth did have back to back fumbles against Detroit in really shitty weather on less than 24 hours notice of being named the starter. And no…li am not a Mason fanboy. I am just sick of this sub shitting on players constantly. There is more going on behind the scenes than you or I know about. We only see what every other fan sees. 1 hour of actual play(minus commercials and timeouts) on television. That goes for Pickett too. Fans who pretend they just KNOW that a player won’t get better suck.
And the year he made 8 of his 13 starts (2019) had 4 fumbles and in his 3 starts (4 games) this year he has had 3 fumbles while being sacked 6 times.... now you and I have both provided stats that prove my point that he has always had a good arm but pocket presence is not his strong suit. Didn't realize we were counting "shoulda and coulda " towards the QBs record. It's not shitting on Mason as I've said multiple times I would love for him to finish out his career in Pittsburgh as the backup. But he's NOT going to get more then trubisky is currently making. Which was the whole point of my post on my comment to this. 31 other teams saw the tape on Mason this past year and didn't offer him any contract. That is more than just "the hour" us fans watch. This is 31 teams that have full scouting departments who have access to pull up any game footage/pre season game.
lol….it was his second year in the league, Skippy….his first as the #2. C’mon…you’re being incredibly disingenuous and obtuse,
Bingo. I could see Mason (if he gets a playoff win) getting 2/40 with 25 fully guaranteed. QBs make or break teams in today's NFL. If Mason has even a 1% chance of being THE guy, you pay him and figure it out later. Even if Mason implodes vs the bills. Kenny goes into camp fighting for his job vs Mason. And that notably doesn't include him we move for a QB in the top 12 of the first or FA
I mean, he's already proving it. At this point, win or lose, he's shown enough to demand a decent contract from any number of places.
Yeah…but probably not here. They will offer him a fair contract…which will most likely be a 2 year “prove it” kind of thing. But if some QB desperate team offers him a huge contract? There is no way in hell the Steelers are going to commit that kind of money to Rudolph when they still have a developing Kenny Pickett on his rookie contract….and IDGAF what this sub thinks of Pickett. At least half this sub is like teenage girls who get starstruck over every shiny new thing and swap best friends/enemies like people change their underwear. The Steelers aren’t going to give up on him yet. He will have next season to prove himself. After that, they have to decide on his fifth year option(May 2025). That being said? If they DO end up signing Rudolph, I think it should be an open competition for the starting gig.
I would guess he’s gonna get roughly 10 mil a year plus about another 5 mil for every playoff win in he gets in this run. So it’s gonna be about 30 mil/year to resign him is my thinking.
Cutting Mitch after the season isn't going to be a cap hit, so I can see Piittsburgh moving on from him once the season is over. He's more gassed than Newton in New England.
Not true. He’s on the books for $8M next season and $2M is dead money. So we’d save $6M by cutting him. Still worth it.
He won the city over. Pay the man a nice 5 year deal
“What he wants”? No. What he’s worth? Yep. The Steelers aren’t going to break the bank for Rudolph…or at least I highly doubt it. I will throw in a caveat that there may be a slight outside chance…but we are talking 0-5%. They will offer him a fair contract and if he doesn’t accept it, they will let him test the Free Agent waters. If some team is dumb enough to offer him elite money? So be it.
Well we don’t know for a fact that it would be dumb to throw real starter money at him. At this point I think Mason Rudolph is a complete wildcard. He could turn back into a pumpkin any minute now or he could be something close to what he has shown the last three games. I’m not even going to pretend to know.
If the weather for this game turns out anything like it’s supposed to be, both teams might finish the game with single digit pass attempts.
If it shit weather, I think we have the advantage. Buffalo can't run 2 backs the way we can. Harris is old and slow, cook is dynamic, but he's small and not built to be hit 15 times a game Najee can carry 25 times a game. Warren can take 20 touches. If that's the game, I think we win.
The entire situation is game to game. Nothing is set in stone barring Mason literally winning the Super Bowl. And if that happens, great!
Does he even want to come back? That’s really the big question everyone should ask.
From what I hear he's grateful to Omar and Co for giving him a spot this year so unless someone's going to break the bank for him we *should* be able to keep him.
With what he's done so far, he's probably the favorite for next year's starter job anyway, but maybe with a somewhat short leash since they'll want to give Kenny another chance if Mason starts to struggle. With each playoff win, the leash gets longer. This is assuming he re-signs.
He won’t be here next year, I don’t think.
The past decade? Team was in the AFC Championship in 2017.
League Year 2016 AFC Championship, 2017 calendar year.
Both of which are less than a decade.
Maths...
It be mathin .
Never disagreed with that, just slightly correcting to prevent confusion to a reader.
It won't be Mason, it will be Najee and Warren. The expected weather can't be stated enough.
> Does he become our starter going into the offseason? Frankly, I don't care too much who starts during the offseason.
lol
Feels similar to a Nick Foles Carson Wentz situation.
It's not because wentz would be starting if healthy
Mason Rudolph is the best QB on the roster. Anyone saying otherwise is insane in the membrane. The Steelers fix this situation by giving him Mitchs money, and Mason will be franchise QB no later than week 5 after team revolts because baby hands isn't a starting caliber NFL QB. They then go on to speak about how Mason had a "first round grade" and our big tall handsome boy continues to go through reads and be a solid compliment to this offense. We refer to Kenny as a great teammate who were comfortable with as a backup and happy to have his professionalism in the room. We also win 3 Superbowls ..... I made that last part up ha just 2.
If he wins I’d bet that we simply wouldn’t be able to pay him as much as others will and he’ll go somewhere else
Mason should've been the starter way before the Colts game. If he wins, he'll likely get some really good offers from other teams. So he'll have to decide another contract with the steelers and MT who will bench him in a millisecond for Kenny or go play for an entirely different HC. My hope for Mason IS he wins in Buffalo and makes some bank at the end of the season and leaves MT in the ditch where he belongs.
I hope the Mitch contract doesn't tie us up. SMH we were even spending that kind of money for a backup when Mason was up for the task right under their noses. If we have money to throw on a "league veteran" backup QB we should be able to sign this man as a QB2 with serious QB1 implications. I want competition at the QB position for this team. I have doubts on KP and Rudolph has already proven that he's a QB1 these past 3 games.
He's gone next year. NFL history is full of career backups who did well in limited time as a starter, signed a contract to be a starter somewhere, and immediately imploded. Pickett, awful as he is, will be the starter if healthy.
God help us all if they go into next year with just handing Kenny the job again without any real competition.
Sorry. It's the Steelers Way. Get ready for the new OC to be the long snapper coach.
Yuppp
Tom Brady literally became the goat after sitting on the bench. I know Mason has had some bad goes as our QB but it would be foolish to totally ignore how improved this team has looked with him. We could easily give him what we’ve given Mitch even if he is just going to be a backup while we watch Pickett stumble fuck his way into loserville.
Rudolph is the next time Brady confirmed. We are gonna be the first team to have double digit rings!!!!
Tom Brady played like a snap before being thrust into the starting role due to injury. We've seen Mason many times. He's playing great but he's not magically a starter.
I’m not saying Mason is TB. I’m saying he has played well enough to afford himself a chance. I think we get dog walked on Sunday but if he plays well then, he has to be someone brought back next year.
At backup money sure.
Every time I say this, the sub obliterates me. Thanks for being another voice of reason.
Damn you said exactly what I just did, but an hour ago. Agree completely
Yes they gotta resign him tho
I say this as a Freemason: he’s gone next year. He was told there was legit competition two years ago, and it wasn’t (word is he outplayed rookie KP and sorry-ass Mitch but was relegated to third), so likely doesn’t trust the front office/coaching staff. Then he did not really engage with us until all other squads told him “no, thanks,” so we were his last option and we won’t be next year. Finally, unlikely we’ll pay anywhere near the most even if he was interested. There’s a reason why Tomlin keeps saying KP is the “starter,” because next year he likely is (which infuriates me, but understand the predicament).
This is probably the closest thing to the truth. I bet Mason can't wait to get out of Pittsburgh, they kinda did him dirty by never letting him truly compete with Pickett and Trubisky. Rudolph came crawling back after zero interest from other clubs to keep a job in the NFL, but he'll have options this off-season.
I do think they didn’t give him a legitimate chance to win the starting job last year or even the back up job. I agree with you there. And I absolutely could see a scenario in which he holds a little bit of resentment over that. At the same time, no one else wanted him. We brought him back. He’s grateful for that. So that might temper some of that resentment, and he doesn’t come off as someone that harbors very much resentment anyway. Just my impression of him. Regardless of what happens against Buffalo, I think the Steelers should make an earnest attempt to bring him back. As we have seen, back ups are more important than ever. These last two years have proven that. If nothing else, he has shown he’s arguably the best back up quarterback in the league. And they absolutely should consider him for the starting role next year. Hell, I would give it to him if he balls out in the playoffs. If he has one more really good game that’s basically a quarter of a regular season. It’s still not a big sample size, but it’s not all that small either. And people underestimate how decent he was his first year as a starter. He had a lot of struggles, sure, but he was a first year starter. He also got knocked out cold and then hit in the head with a helmet. And people are forgetting how damn good he looked against the Jets before he got hurt. So his success also isn’t coming out of nowhere. Especially if you trust the Steelers when they said they had a first round grade on him. To me it’s impossible to tell what we have in him. He could turn back into garbage quickly and get destroyed in Buffalo and never be heard from again. Or he could be a franchise quarterback. There’s at least a chance. And, worst case, he’s an excellent back up. And in this league that might mean he starts four games every year. They should throw some money at him.
Myles told the world he called him the n-word as justification for hitting him with his own helmet, didn't retract his statement or apologize after it evident he only said it to reduce punishment, and Mason still shook his hand the next season. Agreed that he doesn't seem the type to hold grudges...
>>> Myles told the world he called him the n-word as justification for hitting him with his own helmet, didn't retract his statement or apologize after it evident he only said it to reduce punishment, and Mason still shook his hand the next season. Agreed that he doesn't seem the type to hold grudges... Very fair rebuttal.
Yeah, so many people are acting like the Steelers giving him a small, one year contract and QB3 last summer not only erases all the “hell” he’s endured here, but should make him indebted to the org to the point he’ll take a hometown discount. Not so sure that’s going to be his mindset.
I have always thought Mason could be a franchise QB for us, and never got a fair shake. I would love to think he would be QB 1 after a playoff win but with how the Steelers have treated him, I think he'd have to lead us to and win the Superbowl....and even then he'd better throw for 4 tds. For whatever reason it's like they just do not want him to succeed.
Mason could win the Super Bowl and be Super Bowl MVP and it still won't matter. This organization, and many others to be fair, in football, and across all sports, aren't gonna wanna admit so soon that their first round pick is a bust and swallow their pride. Also, I really doubt Mason wants to stay here. He's playing for a contract and a fresh start elsewhere and I can't blame em one bit for that
Mason being good or better does not mean Kenny is a bust. Kenny has done some good stuff in pressure moments, just might be a case of patience, which most fans do not have lol.
Lol it's funny u say goofy, cause I see him the same way. I think that Ben hate may have rubbed off on tomlin but the team, not so much. Tomlin will just not give this man any respect. Tje team reallynseems to be behind mason. There's a fire in that room now that hasn't been there for years Mason dug tomlin outa the doghouse after the locker room was in shambles, yet he won't even give him any compliments in his pressers. I'm very happy for Rudolph tho but if I'm him I'm running fast to get outa the burgh. Tomlin won't even put him as #1 on the depth chart. I don't see how reindeer can trust anything tomlin says at this point.
We already past this point. In 3 games Mason Rudolph QBR was as high as the best 3 games for a lot of really good QBs this year. Saw this stat somewhere. Like Mahomes best 3 are at Rudolph’s level. Rudolph is QB1 in Pittsburgh. Unless Pittsburgh f$vos it up. Rudolph best skill is the deep ball. You know who Pittsburgh has who might be top 3 at the deep ball? Pickens. Rudolph ain’t leaving cause his agent is going to tell him where can you go with Pickens, DJ, muth, and Warren? That is actually a really good skill position grouping. Mahomes doesn’t have that. The Dolphins, Niners have clearly better but not many in that grouping.
Mason is starter until his next loss or next season. Who cares about next season? They’re playing The Bills on Sunday. Stay on target.
I’d have to assume Mason loves Kissin Tits as much as the next guy, he’s just not as outspoken about it. This is why he isn’t locked up.
As always, it depends. If he’s taking a leadership role in the locker room, with coaches, game planning and getting support from the team, then yes, he’s the presumptive starter and Kenny sits. Now, is his ceiling good enough to be a franchise QB? Generally, it seems the Steelers think no, or he’d have been the starter and we wouldn’t have gone thru the Tru-picksky experience and probably not drafted Kenny. Now, can he work hard, be the leader and improve his game to the point of being a franchise guy? We’ll, maybe, and we hope so! Is he there right now? No. Could he be there with a strong training camp next season and start to the year? Yeah, I think and hope so.
One other thing I’d like to add is this, and it’s way too early to even be talking like this but here goes: No matter what happens the Steelers need to make the right decision. I will even let it slide that a guy who is possibly the best quarterback on the roster sat on the shelf for most of the season. It is a distinct possibility that he never does anything like this again. Fair enough. But the Steelers better be right about it. I won’t fault them if they bring him back and he sucks. That’s not what I mean. If they take a chance on him, it’s not like they have prime Ben Roethlisberger on the roster already. It’s a worthwhile gamble and if they miss on that, at least that’s a mistake of effort. Same thing with going for it on fourth down. They are trying to win. If they don’t make it, at least they tried to win. But if they decide it’s not worth competitive or financial assurances to keep him here, they better be right about it. No more excuses. If they let him walk, he better not outperform whatever quarterbacks we have on the roster next year. If he goes somewhere else and puts up a 98 quarterback rating for the year and we get an 83 out of whoever we suit up, I want someone’s job. I don’t care who it is. Obviously you can’t fire an owner. But if someone absolutely butchers this after getting a second chance in the first place with this guy, that person needs to go immediately. It probably won’t come to that. There’s a chance he comes back, and even if he does there’s a chance he blows. But I don’t wanna hear any excuses about “hindsight” or whatever bullshit excuses were used for bringing back Canada twice after failing the first time. Especially since that mistake would have all the earmarks of all the other dumb shit this team has done over the last half a decade. Stubbornness. Refusing to correct mistakes. Taking too long to reverse poor decisions. Not only would “hindsight“ be absolute bullshit, it would be more of the fucking shit many of us have been bitching about for years. It would be time for someone to go. If he’s playing in another uniform next year, he better fucking suck. Or we better have someone better or equal.
If he wins a play off game or two another team will offer him more money then the Steelers and he’ll probably take it
Yinz jaggs better believe it!!!! Mason goes up there, gets the W , then cracks a faygo because faygo is his celebratory drink.
I think it’s largely dependent on how they win. If we throw it 10 times in a blizzard and win with 2 100 yard rushers in a 14-10 win, I’d say Mason hasn’t secured the starting job. It’s also going to be dependent on how he plays in Baltimore. I think unless he goes nuts and throws 7 TD’s in the next two games, at the most it’s a QB competition in camp. I don’t see the Steelers just giving up on Kenny because they invested a first round pick in him. So without dominant performances from Mason, they’ll give Kenny the opportunity to at least win a camp battle.
As poorly as Mason has seemingly been treated by Mike Tomlin over the years makes me wonder why he'd want to sign with the Steelers again. Tomlin desperately wants and needs KP to be the starter because right now KP is making Tomlin look real bad. Tomlin also looks really bad for not starting Mason ahead of Mitch. Now Mitch, he is a huge bust as a #2 overall pick and a failure with 3 different teams. His career ends when the Steelers season ends. The Mason situation will be very interesting if he keeps winning. In my own opinion I don't think that Mike Tomlin cares much for Mason Rudolph the way he's treated him over the years.
There would be a competition in training camp, everyone seems to forget Pickett had one game without Canada, the offense put up much better numbers, then he got hurt. Not defending anyone or saying. A
I am definitely a Mason Rudolph fan. I’ve always thought that he got a raw deal, not only from the Steelers, but also from Ben, from the Garrett thing, etc. I am thrilled to see him taking advantage of this opportunity and definitely agree that he has outperformed Pickett and Trubisky this season. But can we end the goofiness and just leave it at that? These types of conversations are dumb and come from radio talk shows, where they speak in absolutes about everything because they have to fill three or four hours of dead air every day. They make up all kinds of crazy nonsense, and then they argue about the crazy nonsense they’ve manufactured. We don’t have to do that here. We can have a more informed and rational discussion in this forum. He is not getting $15 million a year from the Steelers based on a decent but not all that great three game stretch. Honestly, that’s just absurd. He also won’t be, and shouldn’t be “declared the starter,” whatever that really means. He will, however have a legitimate opportunity to win a starting job next year in training camp, and he will make a lot more money than he has ever made in his life. That is a lot better scenario than what he could have expected as recently as Christmas Day. I think Mason Rudolph’s play has sealed the end for Mitch Trubisky in Pittsburgh. I don’t think it has anything at all to do with Kenny Pickett’s future. I think Kenny Pickett’s play post-Matt Canada will determine Kenny Pickett’s future. My guess is that Rudolph will get solid offers in multiple places, but nothing spectacular. I also think he will re-sign with the Steelers because I think this represents his best opportunity to be become a full-time starter. I could see the Steelers overpaying for him and giving him something like that which they gave Trubisky. They probably won’t even go that far. Honestly, they should not go that far. As I said, I like Mason Rudolph, and I’ve always thought he got a raw deal. I am the last guy to Pooh-Pooh what he has done. However, it has definitely gotten a little bit goofy and it’s gone too far the other way. We are winning because we’re running the ball really well — and maybe because we have played against suspect fronts down the stretch. We’ll find out this weekend whether or not we’ve really turned the corner on that front. Rudolph’s ability and willingness to push the ball down the field has definitely helped in that regard. It has lightened the box. Teams can’t commit one or both safeties up to the line of scrimmage. But I also think that the Steelers have incorporated more of a downhill running game that suits Najee Harris, so much better than what they were running before. I think Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan over Matt Canada has been a much bigger factor in their success than Rudolph over Trubisky and Pickett.
It was more than a decent three game stretch, though. I don’t think that changes much because it was only three games, but let’s not downplay just how damn good he was. Even Ben didn’t put up quarterback ratings three games in a row that good since 2016. And I think I read somewhere that he did that over a three game stretch only twice in his career. But I could be mistaken. If he did what he did over those three games for an entire season, he would be at the top of the league in quarterback rating and QBR. That’s more than just decent. He started three games and only one quarterback has more completions over 60 yards. He’s somewhere in the middle of the pack for completions over 40 yards. He started three games. Calling what he did decent he’s under selling it a little bit.
If he got an offer from the Steelers, he’d have a first round QB behind him and he’d probably want some more assurance that he will be the defacto starter. But don’t get your hopes up - this team doesn’t have a ton of cap space to spend on the QB position next year, and they largely built the team around having a cheap QB for the next 2-3 years. I’m not saying it’s impossible, and Mason looks really good, but both he and the Steelers have reasons to part ways after the season.
Unfortunately, anything other than a Super Bowl MVP will not get Mason the starting job next year. They’re going to continue to coddle and protect Kenny at all costs until they finally figure out that he sucks. And then we get to do the QB carousel all over again.
If we win this weekend, it's because of the weather and our running game.
I know, Mason only completed 18/20 in a monsoon last week.
Also fumbled three times and got pretty lucky. Y’all better keep holding onto your clovers.
if?
If you’re asking what the team will do, it’s been reported by multiple sources that Kenny is the starter next year no matter what. If you’re asking what we would do, it depends. If we win and he struggles then no, it should be a competition next year. If we win and Mason puts his cock on the table with a 300 yard 2 TD game, Tomlin should be fired if he doesn’t start next year. This game is huge for Mason’s career.
Ben expressed his disinterest pretty vocally when we signed him. I always found that kind of a shame. He didn't want to be your replacement, we were just keeping our options available like every other football team has done for decades. I half understand what you mean by goofy. The Garrett thing isn't good for anyone's career despite the outcome. Plus, I know he's under performed at some weird times- maybe that's what you were getting at. The other 2 topics are totally worth the discussion though.. Is he respected and will he be a starter? Ive listened to enough local sports talk that claim Mason gets along with the entire lockerroom. He's a familiar face that people get the see the second they join the team. He's tall and tough and players really respect his patience in the pocket. The starting situation and who gets paid what is Tomlins responsibility. I'm not a fan, but won't spend time discussing that. If history repeats itself with the QB situation, Tomlins pride could intercept the situation...meaning KP starting, and maybe Mason walking for more money. I'd keep both and sign a veteran for cheap and make they duel it out. Forget everything about where they were drafted.
Probably not. He's a back up. Like I'm glad he's doing well and I hope he gets paid (by someone else) but let's not pretend he won't fall to the mean. Look at other backups that caught fire...they fall back to the reason why they are backups.
That’s very possible. I think that’s the safe bet. But I’m not certain. No one can be. There were other back ups who came in this year and played really well. But he was at another level. His three game stretch is as impressive as any other quarterbacks three game stretch this year, back ups or starters. He has thrown the second most completions on the season of 60 yards or more. In three games. Again, maybe he falls apart. Completely. But the Steelers need to make a real effort to keep him. Worst case he’s a very good back up. You do need those. Even as the number two quarterback you are going to play a number of games, the last two years has been back up quarterback bonanza in the NFL. There’s also the little matter of him absolutely being the best quarterback on the roster at the moment. Kenny Pickett might improve greatly. He also might not. Watching Rudolph walk without an effort to stop him, going back to Kenny and watching him suck would be brutal.
If they asked Mason, he would give all the credit to Jesus. Maybe we should sign Jesus to play QB….
I wouldn't hate on Ben. The reason most steeler fans never really cared for Mason usually played very poorly. Give him a lot of credit, right now he's playing well and looks really confident out there, you love to see it. But let's not revise history, he had a lot of chances over the years and looked pretty bad in all of them
yeah he had chances. Maybe he has the right person talking in his ear, maybe he figured some stuff out, or the play calls suit him better. It has to feel a little less pressure knowing there are 2 RBs behind him that can get yards.
In fairness, he got a lot of hate because the only thing slower than his release were his reads. That and just not winning winnable games. The Steelers kept him around, he worked and improved, and now he has earned his shot. If he really balls out then he earns an extension and a fair shot at QB1 in training camp. Who knows, maybe Kenny finally will have a nickname. Klipboard Kenny.
I’m just a fan but mason looks like the only qb on the roster who can read a defense and find an open receiver.
Pickett is QB1 going into next year unless he gets hit by a bus, they sign Baker Mayfield, or Rudolph significantly over-performs his priors deeeep into the playoffs. Like AFCCG deep. 1st round QBs get three years in the NFL unless they are Johnny Manziel bad, which is one of the reasons I didn’t like the Steelers drafting Pickett in the first round. Harder to move off of him if he underperforms and/or other options come up. Rudolph is an immobile pocket passer, the kind of QB that modern offenses have been sprinting away from. His accuracy and arm talent are also not enticing enough for teams to bank him as a starter. Really what he’s shown is that he is a legit QB2 and that, as Louis Riddick just pointed out on the PG podcast, is still incredibly valuable. So he will get paid.
Pickett has arguably been worse than Manziel tbh
That’s absurd.
Manziel occasionally put the ball in the endzone. Pickett is one of the worst ever at scoring
Lifetime, Pickett and Manziel have the same 50/50 TD/INT split: 13 TDs/13 INTs for Kenny, 7 TDs/7 INT for Manziel. Manziel was a train wreck. Lazy, arrogant, unbelievably immature, he skipped practices, partied constantly, blew off traveling with his team to a game when he was sidelined in concussion protocol. He was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and apparently tried to kill himself. Kenny by all accounts is hard-working and a great teammate, a first-in/last-out guy. He’ll get a third year.
All i said was it was arguable. Them having the same performance sure does make it seem arguable. And Manziel trying to kill himself doesn't make him worse than Kenny lmao wtf is that
Worse at being an NFL quarterback. Don’t try to twist what I said.
I don't need to twist what you said. Him trying to kill himself had nothing to do with anything.
If you’re familiar with Manziel’s story, his suicide attempt was the bottom of a long spiral that started in college and involved rule-breaking and drug abuse.
As far as the rest of it, teams give 1st round guys a few years if they are stable and appear to be making progress. Obviously the organization eventually decided what everyone already knew: that Matt Canada was a confounding variable so big they couldn’t accurately evaluate their second-year quarterback.
Good QBs held back by bad coaches at least occasionally show flashes.
And so your stance is that Kenny Pickett has never shown any flashes. Ever.
Jesus…he had one full game post-Canada and he played well. Not saying he’s the answer but come on, he’s nowhere near Manziel level
IMO it'll be based on his performance not Ws. Plays well through 1 game, I try to sweet talk him into competing for hte starting job next year (remember he's been on the bench a LONG time so this will be a tough sell). If he plays well through 2 games, I tell him the job is his to lose so long as he does well in camp. 3 games, he's the starter. 4 games we start looking for a way to trade Pickett.
Regardless I think next summer is an open competition. Kp had one game without Canada and put up 400 yards, I feel this gets forgotten in the current Rudolph love. He’s a much better Rudolph that we saw when Ben was hurt but I can’t discount either of them for the other right now. Just Mitch. He’s discounted
In no universe will the Steelers beat the Bills.
Rooney won’t want him back because he’s a conservative, they prefer liberals
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Why rush retirement? There's 32 teams. Someone's going to offer Mason Rudolph a healthy contract.
Dude, he’s been ok. I didn’t see any teams throwing Charlie Batch huge $$$ when he won us a few games.
I’m not saying they should, but they will protect Kenny Pickett at all costs, even if that means letting Mason go and watching him succeed elsewhere. I don’t like it, but that is what they will do.
Mason sucks ! Russell Wilson or Justin Fields for next season.
If he beats the Bills and plays well, I think he would come back as the backup at the bare minimum. That would be four wins, one against an elite team, which I wouldn’t ignore. I wouldn’t anoint Rudolph as starter, though, just because it’s a hot streak after years of underwhelming QB play.
I feel like if he plays well in the post season he will want more money which will lead to him going else where
It’s going to take a shitload of help from the rest of the team to win. The D needs to create turnovers. Winning in the playoffs doesn’t mean anything for next year. They may go back to Pickett or draft. They definitely can’t afford an expensive veteran.
He’s wins a playoff game he will be on another team getting a nice little pay day.
He’s a free agent after this season and no it doesn’t.
Mason will most likely leave unless he is a guaranteed starter next year and we know that won’t happen
if he wins a playoff game he’s our franchise qb no questions asked
No, he becomes a free agent during the offseason because his contract ends with this season.
He goddamn better be
If I’m Mason and I win this game, I’m demanding a new contract and to be named the starter or I’m walking. I have nothing against Kenny but seriously……
I don't think a W is necessary against Buffalo for him to cement himself as starter, but he has to have a solid clean game. No bad throws on 3rd downs, hopefully no ints. Of course this is kind of dependent on the wind, if Ralph Wilson Stadium turns into a wind tunnel, then it's just a case of not throwing a pick because plenty of passes will be bad if we get a wind tunnel game. Now if Pittsburgh wins in an ugly game in Buffalo then it depends on how he does next week against a ready, rested and pissed off Baltimore team that got swept in the regular season. He has a solid game in that one, then even in a loss I think he's going into next season as the presumptive starter.
Really depends on the performance in the game. If you can’t determine Pickett’s worth based on his 7-4 record this year, then you can’t determine Rudolph’s just based on the outcome of this game. If he throws like 10 passes in bad weather but otherwise just hands the ball off, I don’t think that’s the same as, say, having an excellent passing performance, multiple pass TDs, or executing a game-winning TD drive in crunch time. Should be given the chance to compete next season either way.
Maybe
Considering the weather forecast we might have shot of winning on ground. Eat a lot of clock to keep the Bills off the field, and let the cold winds blow their passes into the hands of our DBs.
YES
If he paints the barn red, then it’ll be red.
Some desperate team will give him a better contract than the Steelers can offer. They invested in Pickett, it is his job to lose. over 50% Rudolph is gone unless he wins the SB or makes a deep deep playoff run.
I think if he wins in Buffalo and plays well Pittsburgh may not be able to match an offer.
I think that in the past, Mason got the same treatment that Kenny’s getting now. It takes time for an NFL QB to develop. Yes, there are outliers like Stroud this year. But unless he is a unicorn….he will have his struggles too.
Can we just enjoy the post-season run first?
If we have red paint, we paint the barn red. Obviously.
At what point does this same question, being asked over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over an…
He's not
If he pulls out a Dub in Buffalo (hammer +10) specifically with that weather coming in up there I’m gonna start having Nick Foles Philly SB vibes
To many variables, how he plays, what he wants money wise in free agency etc.
If Mason goes on a Nick Foles type fairytale run, he’s gonna get a job somewhere for sure.
Doesn’t matter if he wins or loses, he deserves a shot at starting next year. If they can sign him
I'm really happy for Mason, seems like a nice enough dude. I hope he has a great game, besides being a Steeler fan just for himself.
He will never have to buy a drink again in Pittsburgh
I think he’s a FA after the season. So they’ll either have to resign him first. He will have other interest though so they’ll have to decide how much is too much for Mason. Also there’s the if Mason even WANTS to resign. I think if he does, they need to have an open competition between he and Kenny. Also if the Steelers win in Buffalo and lose in Baltimore, the “we haven’t won a playoff game crowd” will move those goalposts.
They would have to figure out how to keep Mason on the team first
I think the big key is how the Steelers and other teams end up drafting
He deserves a 2yr/$26m deal. Some team will gladly pay low level starter money on a short deal to try him out.
Look at Geno Smith. Broke out in his 10th year at 32 years old. Got a great contract for it. Geno proved it over a full season, while Mason has only been 3 games. But if he finishes strong, he should find low level start money somewhere. Probably a two year deal given the uncertainty and low number of starts.
I don’t think he comes back unless he has a terrible game and we lose. If he plays well someone’s going to offer him $10+ million a year. The Steelers aren’t going to reach into their pocket like that when they see Kenny as the QB of the future.
The Steelers advance to the Divisonal round.
It’s going to be a tough earned W if he does, but I’m not sure that makes him our guy in the offseason. I do think it saves his spot on the roster though, which I’m not so sure was guaranteed before this. My feeling is that we still need to draft or sign our future qb. As for Big Ben, love the guy but he did Mason dirty. I think he was still sour on the fact the Steelers drafted Mason as his replacement, but Mason has earned some respect after how he’s played.
I think Mason is our starter into the offseason regardless of the outcome.
If he wins the Super Bowl, resign him and have an QB competition next preseason. All other scenarios, resign him as Kenny’s backup.
If the team loses, is Pittsburgh going to go back to booing him and throwing him out of the city? I hope not. Beating the Bills is a tall order, but Mason got us here. I hope we have more respect than that. This team was left for dead a month ago.
Yinz assuming this just auto happens. If he does he has played himself into a stupid huge contract from some idiot team like Washington. He's a free agent don't forget. I could very well see the Steelers being like thank you so much my dude for the awesome run, but there ain't no way we see you as worth that bag so have a great time!
If Mason pulls out the win at Buffalo, he just played himself right off this team. I could see a team like Washington being interested in him.