Pittsburgh Steelers may have found a trade partner for veteran
Rumors have persisted in recent days that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be on the verge of trading quarterback Mason Rudolph. The former Oklahoma State quarterback has been battling for the starting quarterback job in Pittsburgh, but it appears that Rudolph is set to be the No. 3 option behind Mitch Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett. […]
Rumors have persisted in recent days that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be on the verge of trading quarterback Mason Rudolph.
The former Oklahoma State quarterback has been battling for the starting quarterback job in Pittsburgh, but it appears that Rudolph is set to be the No. 3 option behind Mitch Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett.
Rudolph, who has started 10 games in the NFL, has value as a dependable backup/spot starter — too much value to be relegated to a No. 3 backup role.
As a result, there are some NFL teams expressing interest in trading for Rudolph.
One team that could definitely be interested in Rudolph is the Carolina Panthers, who potentially lost backup quarterback Sam Darnold for an extended period of time due to an ankle injury he suffered on Friday night against the Buffalo Bills.
If Darnold is out for a while, it will mean that Carolina has to rely on PJ walker as their backup quarterback (rookie Matt Corral is out for the year with a foot injury).
That's obviously not ideal. Rudolph, however, would represent a substantial upgrade at the position for hte Panthers — an upgrade they badly need (backup quarterbacks can prove to be extremely important, even if it's just for a drive or two during a game).
Carolina and Pittsburgh share a connection with David Tepper, the owner of the Panthers. Tepper, a Pittsburgh native, previously held a minority stake in the Steelers. Maybe that could make a deal between the two teams come to fruition a bit quicker.
If Pittsburgh chooses to move Rudolph, Carolina would be an ideal destination as he'd be out of the AFC (though the Steelers and Panthers do play later this season).
We'll see if anything comes of this in the coming days. But I'd keep an eye on the Panthers as a potential trade destination for Rudolph.
Featured image via Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
