PITTSBURGH — Everything about being back at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ UPMC Rooney Sports Complex is familiar to Mason Rudolph. The head coach, many of his teammates. the media and the uniforms are all the same.

Even the noise surrounding him — and not just the rumble of the trains passing by the practice fields — is something the quarterback has grown used to over five roller-coaster NFL seasons.

“That’s nothing new to me,” Rudolph said Tuesday when asked about the Aaron Rodgers-sized elephant in the quarterback room. “There’s been constant noise that is the nature of the NFL, so I have been used to that for a long time now. I do nothing but be the best I can be and help our team get better this spring.”

After a season in Tennessee, the 2018 third-round draft pick returned to the Steelers on a two-year, $7.5 million deal inked in the first week of free agency. The Steelers signed Rudolph amid their pursuit of Rodgers, and they continue to wait on the four-time MVP to make a decision about his future.

“It’s great,” Rudolph said of the Steelers acting quickly in free agency to sign him. “I’ve been a part [of teams] where you jump on the moving train late in the spring, and then [others where] you’re here from the jump. So I’ve learned to adapt to both, but it’s obviously good to be wanted.”

Rudolph filled the role of QB1 on Tuesday, leading off the quarterback drills for a group that also includes 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson.

“He’s always been consistent of who he is,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said of Rudolph. “Obviously he has a hell of an opportunity right now, and so we’re all excited for him. He’s going to come to work every single day and work hard, so it is been great to see him work again.”

For Rudolph, the goal of the next three weeks is to learn the basics of Arthur Smith’s offense — a system that’s a departure from the last time he was in Pittsburgh and played coordinators Randy Fichtner, Matt Canada and interim OCs/playcallers Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan.

When Rudolph last suited up for the Steelers in 2023, he helped lead a late-season surge that resulted in three straight wins and a playoff berth.

“We won games down the stretch there and at an important time,” Rudolph said. “I just think we played complimentary football, and the more time spent in the NFL, you learn that it takes complimentary football, special teams, offense, defense. [Mike Tomlin] put the statistics up today, I think we were like the last two years, top two or two and three in turnover margin here. So that comes from the culture that Mike T’s created with ball search and ball security. That’s something we’re all working towards.”

To Freiermuth, Rudolph’s ability to elevate the team late in the 2023 season is among the reasons he’s excited to have the quarterback in the fold.

“I love Mason,” Freiermuth said. “He’s a hell of a guy, hell of a teammate, great locker room guy. And I mean, two years ago we needed to win three games in a row to make it to the playoffs, and he stood in the pocket and delivered for us. So we got all the faith in him and it’s exciting to get back here with him.”

And though new wide receiver DK Metcalf wasn’t present Tuesday, Rudolph said he connected with him during the first two phases of the offseason program when Metcalf was around “probably half the time.”

“He’s an unbelievable athlete.” Rudolph said. “I think we all kind of knew that from watching the tape and watching him from across the league. But his wanting to learn and his questions — and he’s inquisitive and he’s very intelligent, very articulate. I thought that was big-time. And he just seems like a guy who’s a low-ego guy. He’s been paid a lot. He’s been very successful, but he’s very hungry to improve.”