He had some time to learn from Rodgers last year, so the Steelers should roll the dice on him to become the new backup. It’d benefit Allar to swoop in and see some playing time from Howard if Rodgers goes down.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Rudolph would probably prefer to join a team where he could have a shot at competing for the starting job. He’s entering the final year of his current deal, so why should the Steelers hold him hostage as a backup once again? You’d never know if Rodgers decides to play the waiting game next offseason, which would leave questions either way about Rudolph as a backup, so the Steelers should get something in return for him.<\/p>\n After bringing in Tua Tagovailoa<\/a> to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting quarterback spot, the Atlanta Falcons officially have one of the worst QB rooms in the league. Tagovailoa is too inconsistent and has a strong history of injuries. Meanwhile, Penix Jr. showed some flashes, but he’s coming off a season-ending injury. The Falcons may have to consider this season to be a “bridge” year, especially with the team hiring Kevin Stefanski.<\/p>\n Rudolph won’t be the long-term QB for the Falcons, but he’d have a better chance in Atlanta to become the starter and have a decent season, unlike Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n While the Carolina Panthers picked up QB Bryce Young’s fifth-year option<\/a>, they’re not fully committed to the starter just yet. After a rough rookie campaign to no fault of his own, the Panthers are waiting to see if they may replicate what he did last season. Young played much better, which is partly due to Carolina’s defense and WR Tetairoa McMillan.<\/p>\n It just got better with the Panthers this offseason. The team signed LBs Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips to fortify the pass-rush while drafting Chris Brazzell<\/a> to strengthen the receiving unit. Jalen Coker is returning, too, so depending on how this season plays out, there is no guarantee that Young is safe. After trading Andy Dalton, the team luckily signed Kenny Pickett<\/a>. Rudolph could compete with him for the backup job to later start for this offense if Young lacks.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, even though Anthony Richardson returned<\/a> after requesting a trade, the Colts could just cut him. It’s obvious that Richardson doesn’t want to be there, and the team has moved on with Daniel Jones<\/a>. No matter if Richardson is gone or not, the Colts should trade for Rudolph to back up Jones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to trade veteran Mason Rudolph after re-signing Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $25M deal to return to the team. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4795,"featured_media":283733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"![\"Mason](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/USATSI_27893526_168403874_lowres.webp\")
Mason Rudolph Trade Rumors Ignite After Latest Aaron Rodgers $25M News<\/h2>\n
Potential Destinations<\/h2>\n
Atlanta Falcons<\/h3>\n
Carolina Panthers<\/h3>\n
Indianapolis Colts<\/h3>\n