At the 2025 NFL Annual League Meeting, head coach Mike Tomlin expressed confidence in Mason Rudolph if the Pittsburgh Steelers needed him to start in 2025—and ESPN's Shannon Sharpe isn't sold.
Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, the three-time Super Bowl champion turned analyst fired back at Tomlin's comments on Rudolph:
"Once you move on, what are you bringing it back for? If he was what you thought he was, you would have never let him go—at that position? You got the quarterback that you believe that can get you to where you want to go—and you let him go. Come on Mike Tomlin, that's not sharp at all. Nobody believes that."
Stephen A. Smith and Chris Canty also chimed in, stating that they wished Tomlin would have instead alluded to all options still being on the table, rather than the stance he provided on Rudolph.
Shannon Sharpe doesn’t believe Tomlin’s confidence in Mason Rudolph: “If he was what you thought he was, why did you let him go in the first place? I look at the situation like this: Once you move on, what are you bringing him back for? If he was what you thought he was, you…
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) March 31, 2025
Sharpe finished off with another powerful statement: "If that was your guy, you would have never let him go."
What everyone is failing to realize is that the inclusion of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson is likely why the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed Rudolph to leave—not due to a lack of belief in his capabilities as a quarterback. Heading into 2024, would the Steelers seriously have re-signed Rudolph to start over Fields and Wilson?
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Shannon Sharpe: 'Nobody believes Mike Tomlin's ...
