Mason Rudolph seemingly takes swipe at Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger was openly unhappy when the Pittsburgh Steelers used a third-round draft pick on Mason Rudolph in 2018. That set the stage for what became a bit of an awkward relationship between the two quarterbacks, and Rudolph clearly has not forgotten about it.

Rudolph is now the veteran in a situation where an accomplished rookie is joining the fold. He was asked this week about helping first-round pick Kenny Pickett adjust to life in the NFL. Rudolph used the opportunity to take a swipe at Roethlisberger.

Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the exchange.

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph knew where the question was going. As a veteran now, does he find himself trying to take on the responsibility of helping first-round pick Kenny Pickett, as opposed to being …

“Being like someone else?” Rudolph said.

Roethlisberger publicly questioned the Steelers’ decision to draft Rudolph four years ago. He then quickly backed down and tried to show that he was being a good teammate, but he was not pleased with the situation.

Rudolph, Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky will all be competing for a starting job this summer. That will naturally create a situation where they are focusing more on their own preparation than helping one another, but Rudolph said there is a balance.

“I’ve always believed in, the starter shouldn’t have to go out of his way, because he’s got a lot of things to deal with,” Rudolph said Wednesday. “But definitely be open to questions and help the growth and development of a younger quarterback, yeah.”

The media loves to make a big deal out of older quarterbacks not embracing the mentor role. Ryan Tannehill learned that recently after he was ripped for what he said about Malik Willis. In reality, there is a middle ground between being a total jerk and holding a rookie’s hand. Rudolph probably feels Big Ben was a lot closer to the former during their time together.