Mason Rudolph Appears To Take Shot At Ben Roethlisberger

It's Mason Rudolph's time (for now) in the Steel City. So, it looks like it will be up to him to try to somehow sneak the Pittsburgh Steelers back into the playoffs.

Rudolph led the team to a huge win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week. That was his first start since 2021. That may be surprising considering, the third rounder from the 2018 NFL Draft was a potential successor to franchise legend Ben Roethlisberger.

That wasn't a decision Roethlisberger was particularly enthused about, and this week, it sounded as though Rudolph may have taken a shot at the former Steeler.

Rudolph spoke with reporters this week and talked about the camaraderie he feels with fellow Steelers signal-callers Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. He said this isn't something he has always had throughout his career.

"No matter who's been playing, there's been great communication. Everyone is truly trying to make the other person better. Find a nugget because they see something, say something, suggest something that's truly going to help us out," Rudolph said. "There's been other times when it's been not as cohesive as a group and people aren't as forthcoming with 'Hey, how do we help?'"

Did Rudolph Fire A Shot Across The Bow At Roethlisberger?

Now, as Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Brian Batko mentioned, Rudolph could very well have been talking about his days at Oklahoma State.

However, given the frosty welcome he got from Roethlisberger, which went a little something like this...

"I was surprised they took a quarterback because I thought maybe in the third round you can get some really good players that can help this team win now, If they feel like he can help our team, so be it but I was a little surprised."

...It wouldn't be surprising if Big Ben wasn't the most welcoming and helpful during Rudolph's first few seasons in Steel City.

Rudolph will likely be under center as the Steelers continue to try and claw their way into the postseason. However, they'll still need a lot of outside help. The Steelers currently have a 17% shot at making the playoffs. That will shoot up to 31% if they beat the Seahawks on Sunday.

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