The 2023-24 NFL season has been the year for backup quarterbacks finding success. Players like Gardner Minshew, Tommy DeVito, Tyson Bagent, Joe Flacco, and many more found success after replacing the injured players ahead of them on the depth chart. Mason Rudolph is the last man standing that fits that description, though. Rudolph is the Pittsburgh Steelers current starting quarterback. He was originally the team’s third-stringer, but an injury to Kenny Pickett and the poor play of Mitch Trubisky afforded Rudolph another opportunity with the Steelers.
The quarterback has taken advatage, as Pittsburgh has played their best football of the season with Rudolph leading the way. He has been a spot starter for the team in the past, but he has never played as good as he is right now, and he will have a chance to further shine in the spotlight in Pittsburgh’s Wild Card game. The Steelers are playing the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs, and it has fans intrigued about Rudolph and his personal life. While Rudolph is seemingly single at the moment, he does have a famous ex-girlfriend. Rudolph used to date Eugenie Bouchard, and in this article, we are going to take a closer look at their relationship.
While Mason Rudolph is a star football player, his ex-girlfriend Eugenie Bouchard is quite that athlete herself. Bouchard is a famous and successful tennis player. She was born in Montreal, Canada, and she represents Canada at the highest level in women’s tennis.
Bouchard started playing tennis at the young age of five years old, and she seemed destined for stardom from an early age. By age 12, she moved to Florida to train in tennis. Bouchard started playing in junior events by 2005, and she immediately found success. That year, she participated in the tournament Open Super 12 in Auray, France. In 2008, Bouchard won titles in both ITF singles and doubles play.
Bouchard won the Junior Wimbledon championship in singles in 2012, and she became the first Canadian-born tennis star to ever win Wimbledon, for the junior or professional level. Bouchard really broke onto the scene in 2013, and she was named the 2013 WTA Newcomer of the Year.
The following season, she was named the WTA Most Improved Player. Bouchard even became the fifth-ranked tennis player in the world in 2014, which was the first time a Canadian ever accomplished that feat. Bouchard continued to have sustained success until 2019, when her play started to regress. She missed 17 months of action with an injury from 2021-22, but she returned to play in August of 2022.
Overall, Bouchard has a singles record of 297-226. Her doubles record is 66-73, and she has a title in both singles and doubles. Bouchard is currently the 277th-ranked tennis star in the world. She has won over $6,904,000 in prize money.
Mason Rudolph and Eugenie Bouchard started dating in 2020, as the two were spotted together at a bar in Pittsburgh. Rudolph was still fresh into his NFL career, as the Steelers drafted him in the third-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The couple made their relationship public in 2021 when the couple posted their trip to Mexico on Instagram. Rudolph’s Instagram post was a Valentines’ Day tribute.
Despite the strong start to their relationship, the couple broke up in 2022. The reasonings behind the breakup are unknown, but Bouchard has clearly moved on. She is now dating Jack Brinkley-Cook.
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Defense ruled the day during the joint practice between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, the Patriots defense did a masterful job of disrupting Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy at Wednesday's practice. However, New England's offensive line was unable to allow Drake Maye to have enough time to finish plays. "Even with four new expected starters up front following last year’s debacle, Wednesday suggested that there will likely be some bumps ahead for this offensive line," Graff wrote. "Sure, going up against the Vikings was always going to be a difficult task. Greenard has been wrecking his own team’s practices in training camp, and everyone in New England knows how good Flores’ scheme can be. But the domination was so thorough by the Vikings’ front seven that three straight plays at one point would’ve resulted in a sack." Maye showed flashes of promise when he had time to throw downfield or was able to use his legs to buy time or scramble when pressure came. The concern is that the offensive line won't allow Maye enough time to even scramble so he can make throws. Graff has noticed the same issues that happened on Wednesday have been a constant at training camp against the Patriots defense. With a new-look offensive line that includes first-round pick Will Campbell at left tackle, the Patriots are expected to have some bumps at training camp and in September. New England's offense probably won't look great out of the gate while the offensive line develops in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' scheme. If and when the offensive line improves, Maye will have a chance to show off the arm that made him the No. 3 pick in 2024. For now, the offensive line is a concern much like it was last season.
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