Who Should I Start? Mason Rudolph or Tyson Bagent

Friday, August 22, 10:43 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph completed six of his eight pass attempts for 36 scoreless yards and an interception in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. Rudolph took the field for the team's first three offensive possessions and could not get much of anything going. The Steelers punted twice in the first quarter before Rudolph opened the second period with an ill-advised throw to Ke'Shawn Williams that Carolina picked off. Rudolph's brief showing was quickly outshined by teammate Skylar Thompson, who led Pittsburgh on three straight scoring drives. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old Rudolph should be expected to maintain QB2 duties heading into the regular season as the most experienced backup on the roster, especially if rookie Will Howard (finger) is placed on IR.

Wednesday, August 20, 12:31 PM

The Chicago Bears are signing backup quarterback Tyson Bagent to a two-year, $10 million contract extension on Wednesday with a maximum value of $16 million with incentives, according to Bagent's representation. Bagent is now tied to Chicago through the 2027 season. The 25-year-old entered training camp competing with veteran Case Keenum (elbow) for the backup QB job behind starter Carson Williams, but with the extension and with Keenum also banged up, it's likely Bagent will open the 2025 regular season a th primary backup. Bagent went undrafted before making his NFL debut in 2023 for the Bears, playing in five games (four starts) and throwing for 859 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions on 143 pass attempts. He only saw action in four games in 2024 and completed both of his pass attempts for 11 yards.