Best trade destinations for Mason Rudolph

By: Jake Rajala

The Pittsburgh Steelers legendary head coach Mike Tomlin may wish to pardon his quarterback Mason Rudolph – who is honestly too talented to be a third-string QB. According to Pro Football Rumors, Rudolph is even drawing trade interest around the league. Of course, the confusing Mitchell Trubisky and the shiny Kenny Pickett stand above Rudolph at QB. Hence, it may be wise for Tomlin to acknowledge that he has two more potent signal-callers than Rudolph and capitalize off the current (and potentially last-ever value) of Rudolph by trading him away. With that said, I’m going to untwine five potential trade destinations for Rudolph.

New York Jets

The New York Jets need to finally admit that Joe Flacco shouldn’t be the plan B at QB for the second straight year. I would love to see the Jets bring in the 27-year-old QB in Pittsburgh. He may show more flashes with more reps in the Big Apple, especially when he is surrounded by the Jets very underrated weapons (such as Corey Davis, Garrett Wilson, and Elijah Mitchell). Plus, Rudolph may blossom and be the Jets starting QB in 2023 if Zach Wilson doesn’t be a consistent lethal starting QB.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I don’t love the Tampa Bay Buccaneers long-term outlook at the QB spot, to say the least. After the GOAT of all sports, also known as Tom Brady, officially retires, the Bucs will have a ton of talent on the roster and a question mark at QB1. It’s extremely pivotal that the reigning NFC South champions don’t waste the talent on their roster by sending an iffy starting QB onto the field. The Bucs should make an intuitive decision by acquiring Rudolph as soon as possible.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have made sneaky, quality moves this off-season and I believe they should keep their foot on the pedal. The Lions have an un-sung QB in Jared Goff, but they should really upgrade the QB2 spot. After all, Goff missed two games last season and one contest the season prior. The Lions should contemplate bringing in the reindeer-like QB ahead of Week 1.

Kansas City Chiefs

Chad Henne may be annoyingly good, but let’s be honest – the Chiefs need an upgrade (and a younger face) at the QB2 spot. The Kansas City Chiefs ultra-gifted QB Patrick Mahomes has had injury issues: two missed games in 2019 and one missed match-up in 2020. The Chiefs may want to send a late-round pick to the Steelers for a face that could be the back-up to Mahomes for a long time.

Houston Texans

Davis Mills, who is more than a big neck, had a seriously underrated rookie campaign. Nonetheless, it’s unclear if he can ascend in year two in Houston. It would be wise for HOU to add another talented, young profile in Rudolph. The QB from Oklahoma State University could be enticed about potentially garnering the keys to the offense in a Texans uniform.