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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has given his thoughts on Mason Rudolph being the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback. With Ben Roethlisberger now seemingly thought to be retiring, a new era is upon the organization. It will be the first time since 2004 that the Steelers will not have the future Hall of Famer as their starter.
With Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins the players thought to be in line for the starting job next season for Mike Tomlin's team, Smith went nuclear at the sheer thought of Mason being the starter come next season on ESPN's First Take.
“The thought of Mason Rudolph being the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes me want to vomit,” Smith said.
Smith went on to point out that he is a lifelong Steelers fan, however he made it very clear the franchise's coaching staff, front office and ownership that Mason Rudolph should not be their starting quarterback next season.
“I want to be very, very clear about this. I'm a Steelers fan lifelong. We all know this. I have no problem with him being on the roster. You're Mike Tomlin, you're Kevin Colbert, you're the Rooney family you can't go into next season with Mason Rudolph as your quarterback.
Smith mentioned the other quarterbacks in the AFC conference and stated that the 26 year old Rudolph is, at best, a back up quarterback.
"You got Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert and Derek Carr, these people in the AFC conference. You can't go with Mason Rudolph. No, he's a backup. Be a backup."
Is Rudolph the answer for the Steelers going forward?
The answer from many Steelers fans is no, Mason Rudolph is not the answer going forward. The franchise has been heavily linked with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers over the course of the season and it is thought Pittsburgh will have a real shot at landing the 38-year-old.
Everything is in place for a veteran quarterback to come in and make the Steelers a genuine Super Bowl contender again. The defense, led by T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, is as stout as ever. The offense has many weapons, including Juju Smith-Schuster, Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth and Chase Claypool, the Steelers have the nucleus of a star team.
This needs to be accompanied by a veteran quarterback like a Rodgers or Russell Wilson, not any of the young quarterbacks on the roster at this stage. Whether or not the 26-year-old gets the starting job next season remains to be seen.
However, Stephen A. Smith has already given his verdict on the situation, while closing out his remarks on First Take. Smith reiterated his previous points, saying that Rudolph needs to stay in his lane, especially with his track record as a starter.
"Know your lane, you're 5-4 as a starter, even though you ain't won a game two years as a starter... you've had moments and opportunities to impress folks. It hasn't been that impressive."
