Steelers' Mason Rudolph Trade Reports Emerge Again

The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have four quarterbacks on their active roster as the 2026 regular season rapidly approaches.

The move has caused mass criticism, with many wondering why the Steelers, or any NFL franchise, would carry that many quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Some believe the move is an endorsement of the team's young talent at the position while maintaining a commitment to winning.

Others believe the move is temporary, and is a means to an end. One possibility is the Steelers are looking into the trade market. Insider Jason La Canfora recently elaborated on that potential idea in a recent article for Casino.org. He shared that many NFL teams believe the team would prefer to trade veteran backup Mason Rudolph, but navigating the trade market is proving more difficult than imagined.

"NFL executives have stated that the Steelers are very open to trading veteran Mason Rudolph," he wrote. "However, the one thing stopping this is not Pittsburgh’s willingness to sell, it’s the number of quarterbacks potentially available across the league which could make finding a deal more difficult."

Why This Makes Sense For Steelers

The Steelers have a million reasons to seek a trade for Mason Rudolph, but as La Canfora explains, it's not so simple. Pittsburgh is one of five teams opening their season with four quarterbacks on the roster, so that eliminates four teams immediately from any trade conversations.

At the same time, the NFL is a quarterback-desperate league. Teams are constantly searching for and failing to find the next young stud at the position. While there may only be 26 or fewer teams to deal with, that's plenty of potential deals to be struck if the Steelers play their cards right. Teams like the New York Jets, Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings immediately come to mind as landing spots, but that's just the start.

Trading Rudolph also relieves the team's biggest roster complication entering the regular season. Carrying four quarterbacks leaves the team a backup short across multiple positions. By only carrying three, they could add a player at another, more needy position.

Why This Makes NO Sense For Steelers

And then there's the ugly truth. The Steelers absolutely love their four quarterbacks. For months now, head coach Mike McCarthy has been praising each of the players in his quarterback room. From the young players, to Aaron Rodgers, to Rudolph, McCarthy has applauded all four throughout training camp and the preseason.

That could be phony or a play to help facilitate a trade, but that doesn't seem to be the case with McCarthy. One source within the organization told Steelers On SI that the plan all spring and summer was to keep the four QBs on the roster. If that is the case, why would they suddenly change course and look for a trade?

All options are on the table, and a potential deal is something to look out for in the remaining time before the Steelers begin the regular season.