Steelers Rumors: Mason Rudolph Has Not Requested Trade Despite Demotion to No. 3 QB

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph has not requested a trade despite dropping to third on the team's signal-caller depth chart, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"Rudolph and his agent, Tim Younger, have not approached the Steelers about trading him, according to sources. The Steelers would like to keep Rudolph to protect themselves against what happened in 2019 when they traded No. 3 quarterback Josh Dobbs shortly before Roethlisberger sustained a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2."

Mitch Trubisky will enter the season as the Steelers' starting quarterback. Rookie Kenny Pickett, who Pittsburgh selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, will serve as his backup.

Rudolph took the high road when asked about his demotion to the No. 3 spot.

"For any competitor, you always want to be first," he told reporters Wednesday. "That's not the case. That is the hand I've been dealt. I have to do the best with it, and we'll see what happens."

He deferred questions on his Pittsburgh future to his representation and Steelers general manager Omar Khan but noted that he would help his teammates out as much as possible.

"Those decisions are between my agent and Omar and the front office. I'm going to leave that to those guys," he said. "For now, I'm on this team, and I'll do the best I can to help these guys prepare and give everything from a mental perspective to help these guys if they need any help."

Rudolph, a former Oklahoma State star, is entering his fifth NFL season with the Steelers, who selected him in the third round of the 2018 draft.

He was thrust into the starting role in 2019 after Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. Rudolph completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 1,765 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He played in 10 games, starting eight.

The Steelers played quarterback roulette that year because of injuries and performance. Rudolph suffered a concussion in October and was placed on injured reserve in December with a shoulder injury. Devlin Hodges started six games for the Steelers that year and became QB1 after Rudolph struggled in November.

Rudolph moved back to the second-string role over the next two years after Roethlisberger returned. Big Ben retired after the 2021 campaign, and the Steelers then added Trubisky via free agency before selecting Pickett in the draft.