Per NFL insider Jason La Canfora, citing NFL executives as sources, the Steelers have been very open to trading Mason Rudolph throughout the preseason.
Crowded Room That Created This Situation
Rudolph currently sits as the primary backup behind Aaron Rodgers, ahead of third-round rookie Drew Allar and 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard on the depth chart.
Pittsburgh kept all four rather than risk losing either young quarterback to waivers, an approach that's drawn criticism given how unusual it is for a team to carry that many arms into the regular season.
On the NFL’s cutdown day, the Steelers did in fact keep four QBs on their roster: Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar. pic.twitter.com/As1xkSrh1a
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2026
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly suggested the front office may not need to force a decision anytime soon. "You can always get to a point where you keep four quarterbacks on the roster for six or seven weeks, up until the trade deadline in early November," Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan. "If you feel more comfortable with Howard or Allar, maybe that brings a Mason trade into play a little bit more. But I don't think they are interested in that. I think they are interested in developing the two for later and winning now with the older guys."
A Deal Hasn't Come Together Yet
The market conditions haven't helped.
Multiple reports throughout August pointed to real, if modest, interest, including a specific connection to the New York Jets, who were reportedly exploring adding a veteran arm behind Geno Smith.
But ESPN's Adam Schefter indicated that even when other teams called, nobody offered enough to make Pittsburgh want to pull the trigger.
Is Mason Rudolph happy that Myles Garrett is no longer in the AFC North? 😅 pic.twitter.com/VEqGuJ1dMw
— Not Just Football (@NotJustFootball) September 2, 2026
Rudolph, 31, is on an expiring contract, meaning any team would be picking him up as a short-term rental rather than a long-term answer, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac has noted he's likely the only quarterback in the room who'd actually fetch anything of value in a trade.
Rudolph played well enough in the preseason to hold off Howard for the backup job, giving Pittsburgh little urgency to move him purely for roster reasons.
With the November 10 trade deadline still more than two months away, the Steelers have plenty of time to keep working the phones, and value around the league for a proven, if unspectacular, backup could easily shift once injuries start piling up elsewhere.
