Easily the most common question related to my exclusive reporting yesterday that the Steelers had reached out to Mason Rudolph was this: Would he return?

The answer: Hell, yes.

I didn't detail that in the original report, presuming it'd be obvious, but it couldn't have been obvious enough. So I'll lay out the reasons:

• Rudolph burned no bridges here. He'd hoped to play more than he did, but that's as commonplace as it gets in professional sports. He also hoped to stay -- and emotionally so -- after leading the Steelers to the playoffs in the 2023 season, but that's just as commonplace.

• For anyone who doesn't believe that, I'll repeat from my original report that it was the Steelers -- Omar Khan, specifically -- who reached out, not the other way around. Khan's not doing that if he thought bridges were burned. Those two have a terrific, trusting relationship.

• Rudolph's a free agent at age 29. He's never been in a position to be picky. There are only 32 starting quarterback jobs at this level, only 32 backup jobs. Very, very few have such a luxury.

• DK Metcalf's in the fold. For real. And what might've seemed like an unattractive offense to join just a week ago ... that's suddenly changed. With more to come. And to this same point, compare this to what Rudolph had around him in Nashville.

• Rudolph's a fine fit for the Arthur Smith offense. He's easily likened in style to Ryan Tannehill, Smith's quarterback with the Titans. And suffice it to say that's arisen internally.

So ... yeah, he'd come. Not at all an issue.