The Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback situation is currently in limbo, as Kirk Cousins is set to be a free agent and his future with the team is up in the air.
But let’s say the Vikings decide to move on from Cousins. What will they do then? Or, even if Minnesota keeps Cousins, perhaps it will want a more dependable backup.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks the team could potentially pursue Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller Mason Rudolph in free agency for either of those two scenarios.
Rudolph supplanted Kenny Pickett as the Steelers’ starting quarterback late this season after Pickett went down with an ankle injury. Even when Pickett got healthy, Rudolph kept the job, as his play impressed head coach Mike Tomlin and the rest of Pittsburgh’s staff.
The 28-year-old played in four games and made three starts this season, throwing for 719 yards and three touchdowns while completing 74.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 118. Most importantly, he won all three of his starts to guide the Steelers into the playoffs.
Rudolph, who played his collegiate football at Oklahoma State, was selected by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He made eight starts in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger in 2019 and appeared in 10 contests overall. That season, he totaled 1,765 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing 62.2 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 82.
Rudolph then only made two starts between 2020 and 2022 before being pressed into starting duty this season.
Because of how well he has played, Rudolph will almost certainly draw considerable interest on the free-agent market this offseason, and the Vikings could very well make a play for him.
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