Steelers reportedly 'reluctant' to trade QB Mason Rudolph amid Kenny Pickett rise
While speaking with reporters days ahead of his team's preseason finale against the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph sounded like somebody who knew his playing future was up in the air now that he is unquestionably third on the depth chart behind both presumed starter Mitchell Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett.
"All I care about is this coaching staff right now," Rudolph said about any trade chatter at that time. "(A trade) may be so, but I can’t control it. I don’t try to speculate on that. My teammates and coaches are the opinions I care about. Anything else is water under the bridge."
On Sunday, Rudolph was given the opportunity to throw the football just three times against the Lions and appeared to be the odd-man out at the position. On Monday afternoon, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Steelers have received trade calls regarding Rudolph but are "reluctant to deal him" at this time:
It was said ahead of this past weekend that "there is some interest around the league in a potential trade" for Rudolph. However, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk noted that Steelers general manager Omar Khan claimed on the latest edition of the "All Things Covered" podcast that he plans to keep all three quarterbacks on the roster heading into the Week 1 matchup at the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals, largely because he wants an "experienced player" available if Trubisky goes down with an injury.
Per Fox Sports' stats, Rudolph completed 26-of-39 passes during preseason play for 220 yards with a pair of touchdowns and zero interceptions. In total, the 27-year-old holds an NFL career record of 5-4-1 as a starter.
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