With the 2025 NFL Draft simply days away and Aaron Rodgers nonetheless ghosting the league, the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have any QB1. And whereas Steelers followers maintain their breath for Rodgers or a rookie savior, the entrance workplace determined to carry again a well-known face: Mason Rudolph.
To say the transfer has been met with combined reactions can be an understatement. On one hand, Rudolph helped regular the ship throughout a chaotic 2023 season. On the opposite, his time with the Tennessee Titans in 2024 didn’t precisely scream “starting-caliber QB.” And now, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, a vocal and die-hard Steelers fan, is taking the gloves off, torching Rudolph’s return in traditional vogue in the course of the April 21 episode of “First Take.”
‘Mr. Mayonnaise’ Over Rudolph? Stephen A. Smith Shreds Steelers’ QB Determination
Smith didn’t maintain again when discussing Pittsburgh’s present quarterback state of affairs, significantly the choice to carry again Rudolph. “There’s two issues he’s identified for: Primary, having practically received knocked upside his head with personal helmet by Myles Garrett. And quantity two, he was in Tennessee and couldn’t play forward of Mr. Mayonnaise himself, Will Levis. That’s it,” Smith stated.
The jab at Levis — who went viral in 2022 for placing mayonnaise in his espresso — landed squarely on Rudolph’s rep. Smith made it clear that this isn’t the type of résumé that ought to encourage hope in a fan base determined for solutions. “And I’m imagined to be enthusiastic about that if I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan? C’mon, y’all. I want some assist,” he stated, throwing his arms up in disbelief.
It’s not nearly Rudolph’s previous. Smith believes this choice sends the improper message, particularly when you think about the expertise Pittsburgh has already assembled on offense. “You’ll be able to’t have DK [Metcalf] and [George] Pickens and [Pat] Freiermuth and an improved offensive line and also you’re giving us Mason Rudolph or [Skylar Thompson],” Smith added. “We will’t have this.”
It’s a good criticism. The Steelers traded for Metcalf earlier this offseason, paired him with rising star George Pickens, and invested of their offensive line. However with no clear signal-caller below heart, all that firepower dangers going to waste. Rudolph’s return — particularly after failing to earn snaps in Tennessee — feels extra like a placeholder than a plan.
In the meantime, the Steelers’ quarterback future stays as murky as ever. Aaron Rodgers has been linked to Pittsburgh for weeks, however he seems in no rush to decide. The holdup is that, like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr, Rodgers doesn’t wish to mentor a rookie. Pittsburgh has been linked to a number of impending first-year signal-callers, together with Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, and Tyler Shough.
Till Rodgers decides — or the draft provides them another choice — Pittsburgh’s greatest guess would possibly simply be Rudolph. And that, in response to Smith, is exactly the issue.
