The door was open for quarterback Mason Rudolph to remain in Pittsburgh, even with the looming arrival of Russell Wilson on the depth chart. But the price had to be right.
The price was more right for Rudolph in Tennessee.
The deal, we’re told, has a maximum value of $3.62 million. NFL Media has more details.
He gets a signing bonus of $1.35 million, a fully-guaranteed base salary of $1.35 million, $170,000 in per-game active-roster bonuses, and up to $750,000 in playing-time incentives.
Tennessee’s other backup quarterback, Malik Willis, is due to make $1.174 million in 2024. The fact that Rudolph has a base package of more than twice that amount suggests that Rudolph has the inside track to be the primary understudy to Will Levis.
Then again, Levis is due to make only $1.83 million this year, under his slotted, second-round deal. That results in a total base payout of $5.227 million for three quarterbacks in Tennessee — with Rudolph being the highest-paid signal-caller on the roster.