The Seattle Seahawks entered the 2026 season with optimism around Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback, but a glute injury suffered on the opening drive of a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots has created a short-term vacancy.
Team officials have described the problem as a soft-tissue issue that left the hip joint unaffected and expect Darnold to miss only a limited stretch. He has already been ruled out for Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, leaving Drew Lock to start and Jalen Milroe as the next option on the depth chart.
That modest disruption has nonetheless drawn outside attention to a possible addition.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox placed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph sixth on his early-season trade-block board and named Seattle as a logical landing spot.
Knox estimated Rudolph’s asking price at a conditional 2027 sixth-round selection, a relatively low cost that reflects both the veteran’s contract situation and Pittsburgh’s crowded quarterback room.
Rudolph’s most impressive stretch remains the close of the 2023 season, when he stepped in for a Steelers team fighting for a playoff berth. In three starts he completed 55 of 74 passes for 719 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, posting a 74.3 percent completion rate and a 118.0 passer rating.
All three games were victories, including a 30-23 road win in Seattle in which he threw for 274 yards on 18-of-24 passing.
He later started five games for the Tennessee Titans in 2024, accumulating 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions across eight appearances, then returned to Pittsburgh in 2025 and completed 73.1 percent of his throws in five games, one of them a start.
The Steelers now carry Aaron Rodgers as the starter and have younger options in Drew Allar and Will Howard.
Longtime reporter Jason La Canfora has indicated Pittsburgh would listen to trade offers for Rudolph, who is in the final year of a two-year, $7.5 million deal that carries a $3 million base salary in 2026.
With 19 regular-season starts and one playoff appearance already on his résumé, Rudolph offers more NFL experience than a typical third-stringer.
Seattle has given no public indication it is shopping for another quarterback. Lock performed capably in relief during the Patriots game, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. If Darnold’s recovery follows the expected short timeline and Lock continues to manage the offense, the Seahawks can stay put.
Should the injury linger or the team simply want extra insurance, however, Rudolph represents an inexpensive, battle-tested veteran who has already shown he can win games in high-stakes stretches.
For a Seahawks club with playoff expectations, that combination of modest cost and proven late-season production is what makes the rumor worth watching.
