UNITY TWP, Pa. —At one point in the last few years, Mason Rudolph was readying for a career change. During another, last season, he was suiting up in an unfamiliar uniform and number. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback's path has guided him back to wearing his customary No. 2 jersey at St. Vincent College this summer.
"It feels like home," Rudolph said after Saturday's practice. "I've spent a lot of summers here. It's comfortable, and it's just getting back with so many good friends and a coaching staff that I know well."
Rudolph took the Steelers' first-team reps as Aaron Rodgers was given a day to rest, along with other veterans. The highlight of Rudolph's day was a touchdown pass to Scotty Miller on a whip route to begin the second team session.
In 2023, Rudolph admitted that he'd gone so far as to update his résumé, looking at a possible foray into commercial real estate. Instead, he emerged from a banged-up and disappointing quarterback room and wound up starting the Steelers' final three regular-season clashes, vaulting them into the postseason.
"To have more of these, I was just — a couple years ago," Rudolph said, stopping for a brief moment before gathering his thought. "I'm very grateful to be back here. Because I feel like you never know. I don't know if that could've been my last year or I just hadn't played in a while. But you're sitting at third string on the depth chart and a lot has to happen for you to get on the field.
"And a lot did happen that year. … I'm grateful to God for giving me that window of opportunity."
His effort late in 2023 earned him a deal to back up Will Levis with the Tennessee Titans . He wound up starting five outings for the team, going 1-4, before retracing his steps to Nashville to don black and gold once again. He knows someday he'll have to consider life without football, but is happy the change has been postponed.
"In the offseason, for sure, you're trying to figure out what you like," Rudolph said. "You hear from so many guys, whether you make $100 million or $1 million, the transition comes at some point. You wanna find out what you're passionate about. I'm still incredibly passionate about this game."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers QB Mason Rudolph: Latrobe 'Feels Like Home'
Related Headlines
