Mason Rudolph Speaks out on Preseason Return to Acrisure Stadium

Quarterback Mason Rudolph won’t officially make his return to Acrisure Stadium until Week 2 of the 2025 regular season. That’s when the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Seattle Seahawks for their home opener.

But he was back in the building for Week 2 of the preseason Saturday night versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rudolph expressed to the media after the 17-14 loss how great it was to make his home return for Pittsburgh.

“It was great. A lot of great memories here and so thankful to be back in such a great organization,” Rudolph told reporters. “I definitely enjoyed running back out of that tunnel with this team and being in black and gold and having some fun out there.”

Rudolph started the contest and played the first three offensive series. He completed 3 of 5 passes for 46 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Steelers’ Mason Rudolph Makes Return to Acrisure Stadium

Rudolph left in free agency to sign with the Tennessee Titans last year. But after just a year away from Pittsburgh, Rudolph agreed to return to the Steelers on a two-year deal this past March.

The 30-year-old quarterback spent the first five seasons of his NFL career in Pittsburgh. He posted an 8-4-1 record, including 3-0 mark to end the 2023 season.

In those three starts during 2023, Rudolph completed 74.3% of his passes and averaged 9.7 yards per attempt. He also had three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Rudolph went 1-4 as a starter for the Titans last season. He averaged 6.7 yards per attempt with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games.

The veteran quarterback returned to Pittsburgh to serve as the team’s No. 2 signal-caller. The Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers, who hasn’t played in the preseason yet, on June 5.

In the first two exhibition games of 2025, Rudolph went 12-for-15 with 130 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Derrick Harmon Addresses Playing at Acrisure Stadium for First Time

While Rudolph was making his return to Acrisure Stadium, many Steelers were playing there for the first time in their NFL careers. One of those players was first-round rookie Derrick Harmon.

The defensive lineman expressed to reporters that he was thrilled to be in front of a stadium filled with Steelers fans.

“It was beautiful man. It was real beautiful,” Harmon said to the media. “Kind of took me back to Oregon a little bit how loud they were out there. It was beautiful to have all the fans be home finally.”

Harmon played 23 defensive snaps in Week 2 versus the Buccaneers. That was down from the 32 defensive snaps he played against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 of the preseason.

That decrease in playing time isn’t all that unexpected for rookies. Harmon is expected to be in the Steelers starting lineup when the regular season begins on September 7.

The Steelers drafted Harmon at No. 21 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. As he mentioned, Harmon played college football at another loud venue, Autzen Stadium, where the Oregon Ducks host their home games.

Harmon posted 116 combined tackles, including 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 42 college games. Last season, he registered 11 tackles for loss and five sacks in 14 contests.