Report: Steelers open to trade offers for QB Mason Rudolph

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened training camp with what was, on paper, a three-way quarterback battle. Now that the situation is settled, one of those quarterbacks may be on the way out.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Friday that quarterback Mason Rudolph has drawn some trade interest and that the Steelers might be willing to move him in the right deal.

“There is some interest around the league in a potential trade of Mason Rudolph,” Rapoport said on NFL Network. “Sounds like the Pittsburgh Steelers would listen at the right price.”

The Steelers have not formally announced it, but all signs point to free agent addition Mitchell Trubisky being named the team’s Week 1 starter. 

Rookie Kenny Pickett has had a very impressive preseason and appears to have leapfrogged Rudolph on the depth chart despite Rudolph being the longest-tenured quarterback still on the roster. That would leave Rudolph as a third-string quarterback with a $3 million base salary, which makes little sense from Pittsburgh’s perspective.

Rudolph was actually linked to a trade with the Lions earlier in the preseason. Whether that is still a possibility remains to be seen.