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Mason Rudolph finally takes shot at Steelers great Ben Roethlisberger

Originally posted on Steeler Nation
By Anthony G. Halkias II | Last updated Feb 11, 2026 12:40 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in disarray offensively ever since Ben Roethlisberger hung up his cleats.

At one point, some Steelers fans actually believed Mason Rudolph could be his heir apparent. That never happened, but Rudolph did show flashes of solid quarterback play during a few of his starts.

Still, Rudolph never fully lived up to what the Steelers hoped he would be when they selected him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. A lot was made about the relationship between Roethlisberger and Rudolph. It was known to be rocky, but not because Roethlisberger disliked Rudolph.

Instead, Roethlisberger was late in his career, focused on winning, and believed Pittsburgh could have drafted a weapon rather than a quarterback.

Current and former #Steelers chiming in on Joey Porter Sr.’s comments on @NotJustFootball on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/19msk5wuhR
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) February 11, 2026

Roethlisberger later said he planned to mentor Rudolph, but Rudolph didn’t appear to want or need that guidance. On Wednesday, former Steelers great Joey Porter Sr. slammed Roethlisberger, calling him a bad teammate and saying people inside the Steelers organization know it but protected him.

Porter also added that Roethlisberger has no place speaking on Steelers business, despite their Super Bowl success together. What is even more shocking is the fact that Rudolph quickly commented on the post, making a subtle but clear statement that revealed exactly where he stands.