Who is Mason Rudolph? What to know about Steelers' Week 12 QB

Christmas season is truly here with a Rudolph leading a team of Blitze(r)s.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Nov. 23 that backup quarterback Mason Rudolph will be making his first start of the season. Starter Aaron Rodgers, who fractured his wrist last week, was ruled out two hours before Pittsburgh's Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears.

The AFC North leaders will be relying on their backup to lead them to a second straight win as they continue to hold off the surging Baltimore Ravens.

Rudolph entered the third quarter of Pittsburgh's Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and led the team on two scoring drives to end the game. The Nov. 23 game against the Bears will be his first start of the season.

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Here's what to know about Rudolph as he prepares for his first Steelers start since 2023:

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Is Mason Rudolph starting today?

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced two hours before the scheduled kickoff in Chicago that Rudolph, not Rodgers, would start in Week 12.

The Nov. 23 game is both Rudolph's first start of the season and his first start for the Steelers since 2023. Pittsburgh's backup quarterback has appeared in three games in 2025, with the most notable outing coming last week.

Rudolph entered for an injured Rodgers in the third quarter of the Steelers' Week 11 clash with the Bengals and led the offense on two straight scoring drives – one ending in a field goal and the other, a touchdown.

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Mason Rudolph career stats

Rudolph is in his seventh NFL season and his sixth with the Steelers.

Here are his career numbers entering Pittsburgh's Week 12 game in Chicago:

• Completion rate: 451-of-704 (64.1%)

• Passing yards: 4,754

• Touchdowns: 29

• Interceptions: 20

• Passer rating: 85.5

• Rushing: 72 carries for 202 yards and one touchdown (2.8 yards per carry)

Mason Rudolph record

In 18 career starts over seven years, Rudolph is 9-8-1. Since Week 12 will be his first start of the season, he doesn't yet have a record for 2025.

Rudolph's one tie came in his lone start in 2021 against the Detroit Lions in Week 10.

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Mason Rudolph contract

• Length: Two years

• Value: $7.5 million

• AAV: $3.75 million

Rudolph is in the first season of a two-year, $7.5 million deal he signed to return to Pittsburgh in March.

The Steelers' backup quarterback last played one year for the Tennessee Titans. The 2025 season is his sixth total with Pittsburgh and the first of his second stint.

Steelers QB depth chart

• Mason Rudolph

• Will Howard

• Aaron Rodgers (out – wrist)

Rudolph is making his first start of the season with Rodgers' left wrist fracture keeping him out in Week 12. The former third-round pick has played six out of seven years in his career for Pittsburgh, with last year's stint with the Titans the lone exception.

Howard was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He's active for the first time in Week 12 as Rudolph's backup.

Where did Mason Rudolph go to college?

Rudolph played at Oklahoma State from 2014 to 2017, with the latter three years as the Cowboys' starter. In his collegiate career, Rudolph threw for 13,618 passing yards – including an FBS-leading 4,904 yards in 2017 – with 92 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

When was Mason Rudolph drafted?

Rudolph was the Steelers' third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Mason Rudolph? Steelers backup QB making first 2025 start