Pittsburgh shouldn’t be ready to ship Mason Rudolph off tomorrow. But they should begin thinking about where he could go next. Drafting Drew Allar crowds a quarterback room with normally three spots. Will Howard still seems likely to make the team, and Aaron Rodgers will eventually sign to round out the depth chart.

While that gives Pittsburgh an inexperienced quarterback room behind the starter, it’s a path the Steelers have gone down before. As Matthew Marczi rightly pointed out, the team entered 2018 with a second-year Josh Dobbs and rookie Mason Rudolph behind Ben Roethlisberger, a construction incredibly similar to how 2026 could look.

Rudolph is logical to get the squeeze. Not only from McCarthy’s lack of comments about him throughout the offseason, but Ian Rapoport notes the Steelers are “open” to trading Rudolph.

So where could he go? Plenty of NFL teams could use his services as a veteran and experienced backup. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fit as well as anyone.

For multiple reasons. One, there’s an obvious need. Tampa Bay has an established quarterback in Baker Mayfield, but nothing behind him. Jake Browning is currently the No. 2. Once a capable fill-in for Joe Burrow, Browning tanked in 2025 with poor decision-making that compelled the franchise to make the rare in-division trade for a quarterback, acquiring Joe Flacco and drawing Mike Tomlin’s ire.

A free agent this offseason, Browning signed a one-year, veteran-benefit contract with the Buccaneers that offers him no safe harbor of making the roster. After him sit 2025 UDFA Connor Bazelak and 2026 UDFA Jalon Daniels. Having a veteran who can bridge a short-term injury is critical to a team like Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are in win-now mode, have Todd Bowles on the hot seat, and can certainly compete in their division, winning it four of the last five years. Mayfield’s style can be aggressive and reckless, and though he’s made it through full seasons each of the last three years, that streak could be at risk now in his 30s.

Rudolph has connections to Tampa Bay. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson starred at Oklahoma State years before Rudolph did, the team’s quarterback from 2005-2009. The two didn’t just share a school. Robinson mentored and trained Rudolph as he entered the 2018 NFL Draft, literally living together and acting as, one article put it, his “big brother” for those several months.

“It was a blast, I had a lot of fun doing it, and it was cool being around Mason the past two months,” Robinson said in May of 2018. 

In fact, the two connected long before then. When Rudolph was poised to take over Oklahoma State’s starting role in 2015, he reached out to Robinson for advice.

“Mason reached out to me. He sent me an email, saying he wanted some offseason coaching and asking about the possibility of doing some work with me,” Robinson told the Tulsa World at the time. “So, yeah, I’ve gotten to know Mason pretty well. What an impressive kid.”

Days later, Robinson again praised Rudolph’s makeup.

“Great kid, I got to know him a little bit over the summer,” Robinson said via Pistols Firing, an Oklahoma State blog. “He’s a class act. He does things the right way. He’s exactly who you want leading the program. I’m excited to watch him. You can tell, just his presence, everyone feeds towards him. He gets everybody going. I’m excited to watch.”

Robinson quickly ascended the coaching ladder. A Sean McVay disciple, he began as an assistant coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, was hired as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2024, and the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2026.

It’s fair to note Rudolph did not sign with Robinson’s Falcons in 2024 or 2025 when he hit free agency. But in 2024, the Falcons had just signed Kirk Cousins to a massive deal, had veteran Taylor Heinicke on a two-year, $14 million deal, and clearly had intent on drafting Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. a month after adding Cousins. That quarterback room was full. In 2025, the Falcons rostered Penix and Cousins. Rudolph took the job as Pittsburgh’s immediate backup.

Now, the door is open. Tampa Bay could use a trusted veteran. Pittsburgh has an overflow at the position. The Steelers can send him to Tampa Bay for, say, a 2027 6th-round draft pick. The Steelers get a little future capital, the Buccaneers a Plan B if Mayfield misses a game.

This decision won’t come until August. Teams like Tampa Bay want to evaluate the current group. Teams like Pittsburgh want to make sure the others get through the summer healthy, especially after Will Howard’s freak hand injury in camp a year ago. When cutdowns near, Rudolph’s market will pick up. Don’t be surprised if he lands in Tampa for a Day Three selection.