Mason Rudolph is arguably one of the most important free agents for the Pittsburgh Steelers this summer, but it doesn’t feel that way, based on Arthur Smith’s first interview with his new team last weekend.
In a recent talk with the team media, Arthur Smith tackled a myriad of topics, including his coaching journey, his upbringing, and why he decided to join the Pittsburgh Steelers as their new offensive coordinator.
However, many Pittsburgh Steelers fans were puzzled as to why Arthur Smith never mentioned Mason Rudolph’s name even once during the seven-minute, 38-second interview, as the former Atlanta Hawks head coach talked more about Kenny Pickett since he kept referring to him as “the quarterback.”
“There’s a relationship that’s got to be built between me and Kenny,” said Smith. “And that’s so paramount between the play-caller and the quarterback.”
It can be noted that during a press conference not too long ago, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin affirmed that Kenny Pickett will resume his QB1 status with the caveat that “there will be competition.”
Pittsburgh Steelers boss offers his view on Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph can seek a move elsewhere, but if Art Rooney II has his way, he would be open to having the Oklahoma State product back.
“He may have options, too,” said Rooney about Mason Rudolph’s impending free agency during his appearance at KDKA-TV on Tuesday. “But we’ve kept the door open to continue those conversations.”
“As we sit here in early February, we are not closing the door on anything. We have a lot of evaluations to go through, and we’ll go through all the options and do what we need to do to be better this coming season,” he added.
Mason Rudolph flourished late for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2023 season
It would be a shame if the Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately let go of Mason Rudolph this summer, given what he has done late in the 2023 campaign.
The 2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner played four games and started three, tallying 719 passing yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 74.3 completion percentage. With him as the signal-caller, the Pittsburgh Steelers went 3-0 in their final three regular-season games to clinch a playoff spot.
Against the Buffalo Bills in the postseason, Mason Rudolph registered 229 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a 56.4 completion percentage.