Until Steelers came calling in spring, Mason Rudolph was serious about changing career fields
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Mason Rudolph wasn’t kidding when he said he was ready to pursue a career in commercial real estate if he hadn’t gotten a spot on an NFL roster this season.
Rudolph made the revelation after he led the Steelers to a 34-11 victory last Saturday against Cincinnati in his first start in more than two years.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t work on my resume a little bit,” Rudolph said Wednesday.
This offseason was the first time he had updated it since his freshman year at Oklahoma State. Until then, there had been no reason to do so.
But when he hit free agency with the Steelers after not throwing a single pass in 2022, Rudolph realized his NFL options were limited.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I wanted to have a Plan B and think about a Plan B a bit,” he said. “My whole life had been doing one thing. The head is down and you’re not going to think about it. I had time to talk to my family about what I might be interested in. I was confident I might get an opportunity.”
It turned out to be with the Steelers, who brought Rudolph back for one more season to be the No. 3 quarterback. His play against the Bengals — he had 290 yards passing and two touchdowns — has led Rudolph to making another start this weekend against the Seahawks.
This offseason, he might actually have some leverage in determining his future.
“Whenever this ends, I know from other guys there is a transition period,” he said. “I wanted to jump into something and keep my brain moving and not sit around waiting.”
Rudolph majored in marketing at Oklahoma State. He chose commercial real estate because that is his father’s career field.
Homecoming of sorts
Running back Najee Harris graduated from high school in northern California, but he spent some of his childhood in Seattle. His father lives there, and, according to Harris, is within walking distance of Lumen Field, site of Sunday’s game.
Harris said he grew up rooting for the San Francisco 49ers and Seahawks. He counts Marshawn Lynch as a mentor.
“It’s good to play some of these teams I looked up to and watched on TV when I was young,” he said.
One thing Harris never did was set foot inside Lumen Field. That will change Sunday.
He has heard of its reputation.
“They have the 12th man, and it will be really loud,” he said. “We won’t be able to do certain things cadence-wise. It’s always fun playing away. I like looking at other people’s venues.”