It’s incredible to see the complete 180 that a large majority of Pittsburgh Steelers fans have taken with quarterback Mason Rudolph. For the longest time, Rudolph was the ugly stepchild of the Steelers’ quarterback room in the eyes of many fans. In 2022 to kickoff the preseason, he was the second signal-caller to enter the game, which came with a chorus of boos because he wasn’t Kenny Pickett.

Fast forward to the end of 2023, those same fans couldn’t wait to see Rudolph start in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals during Christmas weekend due to the struggles of Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. Rudolph then put on three terrific performances in a row that helped the Steelers get into the playoffs and became a forever cult-hero in Pittsburgh.

After a year hiatus in Tennessee with the Titans, Rudolph re-signed with the Steelers this offseason, and is already doing all he can to give back. On Sunday, he was in attendance for the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon to support the participants.

“Being back in the city of Pittsburgh – it’s a sports town like no other,” Rudolph told WTAE. “Any time we get to repay that, it’s always a fun opportunity.”

It’s easy to root for a guy like Rudolph. Should he be the one under center at any point this coming season, he will have the unwavering support of a fan base that rejected him for a long time.