PHOTO BY KARL ROSER | PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Mason Rudolph may not be an ideal starter, but he’s on his way to becoming Pittsburgh’s most influential closer since Kent Tekulve.

It was Rudolph who stepped in with three games remaining and saved the Steelers season, not to mention Christmas, back in 2023.

Now he’s back, and in returning has, if nothing else, saved the offseason, as well as Steeler Nation’s sanity.

The news of Rudolph’s return broke on Thursday morning, at a time when the list of quarterbacks under contract with the Steelers for 2025 began and ended with Skylar Thompson.

That was two days into the official start of the NFL’s “New League Year” on Wednesday and well past the commencement of the “Legal Tampering Period” on Monday.

The Steelers had fully intended to have their quarterback mess settled by then.

But instead they had painted themselves into a potentially fatal corner.

They had been content enough to let Justin Fields leave for New York via free agency.

They had been patient enough to allow Aaron Rodgers to hold the franchise hostage while trying to decide if he wanted to play for the Steelers, the Vikings or the New York Football Giants (or if he wants to play at all).

And they had been seemingly unconcerned enough about Russell Wilson’s publicized scheduled visits to Cleveland and New York to either make Rodgers an offer he couldn’t refuse, or to move on and do what was necessary to secure Wilson’s services for a second season.

There was a very real chance of the Steelers not winding up with either.

But if it comes to that, and it absolutely still might, Rudolph is at least a capable, professional fallback option, better than the scrap heap leftovers still in free agent limbo (Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston, Drew Lock, Carson Wentz, etc.).

Rudolph is also an option the Steelers know they can win with if they must.

They went 3-0 with Rudolph in the final three games in ’23, having turned to him in desperation after Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky had failed miserably.

Rudolph responded by activating the offense, but throwing the ball when it needed to be thrown and where it needed to be thrown.

He’s not flashy and he’s not decorated, but he’s a professional.

That can work again, particularly if an offense that’s already added monster wide receiver DK Metcalf via a trade can continue to supplement the skill positions in the draft (a running back), and in free agency (wide receiver Cooper Kupp).

The Metcalf acquisition was a bold stroke.

But the inability to secure a viable pitch man before the Rudolph reunion bordered on catastrophic failure as an organization.

Welcome back, Mason.

The goal remains to secure Rodgers, even at 41 and with all the accompanying drama, baggage and distraction, even with the annoying persona that’s as much a part of his resume as his Super Bowl ring and his four MVPs.

Cornerback Brandin Echols played with Rodgers with the Jets and would love to do so again now that Echols has signed on with the Steelers.

“Hell, yeah,” he insisted.

Even if that happens eventually, or if they somehow end up running it back with Russ, there’s a lot of work yet to be done in this roster reconstruction.

The haul in the early days of free agency could best be described as underwhelming.

It initially included a cornerback who’ll contribute mostly on special teams (Echols), a linebacker who’ll do the same (Malik Harrison), a cornerback who can play but happens to be 34 years old (Darius Slay), and a third-down back (Kenneth Gainwell), even though they already had one of those (Jalen Warren).

The appetizer and the sides have arrived.

They’re still waiting on the steak.

And if the Rodgers saga ends elsewhere and Wilson winds up taking his unique brand of toxic positivity to the Browns or Giants (he left Cleveland without a deal on Thursday), the main course may never make it to the table.

Still, the Steelers will at least have a familiar face in a familiar place.

It could be worse, much worse.

And it was until the Rudolph resurrection.

Mike Prisuta is the sports anchor/reporter for Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show. He’s also the host of the Steelers Radio Network Pregame Show and the color analyst for Robert Morris University men’s hockey broadcasts.