Former Steeler Rudolph signs with Titans
QB was third-round pick in 2018, played six seasons in Pittsburgh
Mason Rudolph’s six-year tenure with the Steelers has come to an end. Rudolph is signing a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans, sources told the Post-Gazette. The deal is reportedly worth $3.62 million, a raise over the $ 1.1 million he made last season with the Steelers.
The Steelers and Rudolph’s representatives had a consistent dialogue about returning for a seventh season, even up until the hours before Russell Wilson agreed to terms late Sunday night.
Once Wilson agreed to sign on with the Steelers, there wasn’t an avenue for Rudolph to remain with the team that took him in the third round of the 2018 draft.
Rudolph will serve as the backup to Will Levis with Tennessee, which decided to move on from veteran Ryan Tannehill.
Elsewhere on a busy first day of the NFL year and of free agency:
• Calvin Ridley is heading to the Tennessee Titans, the highlight of the official start of free agency Wednesday when teams began reshaping their rosters in a quest to unseat the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Ridley — who had been expected to re-sign with the Jaguars — and the Titans agreed on a four-year, $92 million contract with $50 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the terms told The Associated Press.
Ridley gives young Titans quarterback Levis another playmaker. He started all 17 games for the Jaguars last season and finished with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. Ridley, however, hasn’t always been so reliable. He missed most of the previous two years because of a broken foot, a mental health break and a yearlong gambling suspension.
• The Washington Commanders continued rebuilding their defense by luring six- time Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner from Seattle.
Wagner, who turns 34 this summer, led the NFL with 183 tackles last season. He becomes the centerpiece of the Commanders’ defense under Dan Quinn and is another player the new coach is plenty familiar with. Wagner played two seasons for Quinn with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and ’14, winning a Super Bowl together in the process.
Signing Wagner is one of many changes Washington’s new general manager Adam Peters made after going into free agency with the most salary cap space in the league. Also coming are running back Austin Ekeler, veteran backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, tight end Zach Ertz and several others.
• The Houston Texans continued their remarkably rapid rise from cellar to stellar by luring perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter from the Vikings to play opposite AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson on Houston’s defensive line.
Hunter had a career-best 16 1/2 sacks last year. His deal is a $49 million, twoyear contract with all but $1 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told the AP.
The Texans went from worst to first in winning the AFC South last season, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs under first- year coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
• After losing the AFC championship at home to the Chiefs, Baltimore made a splash in free agency by luring Derrick Henry away from the Titans.
Henry will be running behind a reworked Baltimore offensive line. The Ravens agreed to trade tackle Morgan Moses and a fourthround draft pick to the Jets on Wednesday for New York’s pick earlier in the fourth round and a sixthround selection. Baltimore had already lost guard John Simpson to the Jets in free agency.
How much have the Ravens, Texans and others really closed the gap with the Chiefs, who have won three titles in the six seasons Patrick Mahomes has been their starter?
• The champion Chiefs didn’t stand pat during the free-agency frenzy this week as general manager Brett Veach once again bucked the time-honored trend of champions losing core veterans to other teams.
Veach kept All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones from leaving Kansas City with a five-year, $158.75 million contract. The deal was structured so that it only cost $7.35 million against the cap this year.
Chiefs backup linebacker Drue Tranquill also signed a three-year, $19 million deal to return before Wednesday’s official start to free agency, and defensive tackle Mike Pennel returned to the Chiefs on a one-year deal after playing well in their Super Bowl win against the 49ers.
Also, Mahomes agreed to restructure his contract to free up salary cap space.
The additional flexibility could mean that cornerback L’Jarius Sneed remains in Kansas City. The Chiefs used the franchise tag on him, which would equate to a oneyear, $19.8 million deal, but many expected them to ultimately trade Sneed for draft compensation and cap relief.
Now, the Chiefs could keep him at the tag number or use their newfound wiggle room to sign him to a long-term deal.
• Among other deals Wednesday, the Eagles held onto kicker Jake Elliott, the Browns kept punter Corey Boroquez and the Broncos resigned fullback Michael Burton.
Teams needed to be under the $255.4 million salary cap Wednesday, leading to numerous restructures. One notable cap casualty was receiver Mike Williams, who was released by the Chargers in a move that freed up $20 million.