Ben Roethlisberger Texted Mason Rudolph 'Good Luck' Before Rookie Minicamp

Big Ben reached out to Rudolph before rookie minicamp.

Ben Roethlisberger has reached out to Mason Rudolph to wish him well at camp, according to ESPN.

Rudolph said Roethlisberger texted him on Thursday before rookie minicamp.

"He reached out [Thursday] and said, 'Hey, good luck in rookie minicamp.' I was really appreciative of that," Rudolph said on Friday. "I just said, 'Hey, thanks, look forward to meeting you.' Wasn't a whole lot [of dialogue], but it meant a lot that he reached out."

The text exchange comes a week after Roethlisberger said in a radio interview that he was "surprised" by the Steelers drafting another quarterback over a player that could be used right away.

The Steelers drafted Rudolph in the third round of the NFL draft. Afterward, Rudolph said that it was not Roethlisberger's job to teach him but his "job to learn."

When asked about Rudolph's statement, Roethlisberger said he "might just have to point to the playbook" if the rookie had questions.

However, Rudolph doesn't expect their relationship to be like that once the two quarterbacks start working together.

"I think the media got it kind of twisted around a little bit. [Roethlisberger's] a competitor," Rudolph said. "He's a Hall of Fame quarterback. He's a competitive guy. That's what I would expect. He's a longtime starter. I'm sure when we get in this building, in this room, we're going to be friends, and I'm going to let him do his thing and pick up what I can from him but not bother him."