Who Should I Start? Lamar Jackson or Mason Rudolph

Monday, March 31, 12:02 PM

The Baltimore Ravens have had early contract-extension talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and head coach John Harbaugh said that when a deal does get completed, Jackson will become the highest-paid player in NFL history. It's not that big of a surprise after Jackson came close to winning his third MVP award in 2024. The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro had another excellent season for the Ravens last year, throwing for a career-high 4,172 yards, career-high 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 17 regular-season starts while also adding 915 rushing yards on 139 attempts for another four touchdowns on the ground. Baltimore's season came to a disappointing end in the Divisional Round in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, but the 28-year-old dual-threat signal-caller was the QB1 overall in fantasy points and should be the first quarterback off the board in fantasy drafts in 2025.

Wednesday, May 28, 11:59 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph opened OTAs with the first-team offense on Tuesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. This news isn't much of a surprise, but it does confirm head coach Mike Tomlin's vision as full-team practices get underway this summer. Presumably, the starting quarterback job is Rudolph's to lose, barring an external quarterback addition such as Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. Rudolph's internal competition comes from Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard. Thompson has completed just 58.7 percent of his career passes with one touchdown, three interceptions, and two fumbles. He primarily served as a backup over three seasons in Miami. Meanwhile, Howard is a rookie who impressed at Ohio State, but he has suboptimal draft capital as a sixth-round pick. On the other hand, Rudolph has shown flashes of potential during his time with the Steelers (2018-2023) and Titans (2024). In Tennessee last year, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.