Possible Vikings Starting QB in 2024 No. 4
Mason Rudolph
2023 Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
2023 Stats:
- 3 starts
- 74.3 completion percentage
- 719 passing yards (179.8 per game)
- 3 touchdown passes
- 0 interceptions
- 118.0 passer rating
Mason Rudolph is someone who was never really given a fair shot to be a starter during his tenure with the Steelers.
Rudolph had the opportunity to start eight games for Pittsburgh in 2019, but he was only in his second season in the NFL, and his development still needed plenty of work.
After being in the starting lineup for eight matchups In 2019 with the Steelers, the former third-round draft pick only started a grand combined total of two games during the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons.
It didn’t seem like he was going to see the field much in 2023 either, but then he was given a chance to start in a Week 16 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rudolph wound up performing very well, throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns, as he helped lead Pittsburgh to a Week 16 win over the Bengals.
That was arguably one of the best single-game performances he’s ever had during his career in the league with the Steelers.
Rudolph wound up starting four games for Pittsburgh this past season, including a playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills, and the team emerged with victories in three of his four starts.
Unfortunately, the Steelers' only loss with him as their starter took place in the playoffs, but his late-season emergence is something that helped Pittsburgh sneak into the postseason with only a few games left on their 2023 schedule.
If Rudolph’s winning ways from his starts in 2023 are legitimate, then he might be someone the Vikings should at least consider signing this offseason.
He’s not going to be expensive at all, and at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he has some intriguing traits that Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell might be interested in utilizing in his offense.