Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Kyle Trask

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.

Wednesday, March 12, 10:50 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to terms to re-sign quarterback Kyle Trask on Wednesday night on a one-year, $2.787 million deal, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The former second-round selection (64th overall) in 2021 out of the University of Florida will return in 2025 to backup Baker Mayfield. In his three years in the NFL, the 27-year-old has appeared in only seven games (no starts) and has gone 4-for-11 for 28 yards without a touchdown or interception. Although the Buccaneers are on their third different offensive coordinator in the last three years, Trask has familiarity with the organization. However, should Mayfield go down with an injury in 2025, Tampa's offense will probably be in serious trouble given Trask's lack of NFL experience.