The Pittsburgh Steelers are having an exciting free agency period so far in 2026. They started off hot by trading for Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. They also agreed to terms with cornerback Jamel Dean and running back Rico Dowdle. It was one of the more exciting opening days in recent memory, but with all of these moves comes the question: Who is the starting quarterback going to be? Right now, the favorite is still Aaron Rodgers. There are also free agents and trade candidates they could look out for. As of March 11th, Will Howard or Mason Rudolph would likely be the starter in Pittsburgh with Rodgers still undecided about his future.
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Steelers quarterbacks Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Aaron Rodgers warm up before Pittsburgh's 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
It was originally thought that the Steelers would trade up by using their 12 draft picks to land a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. Not only is the class not as loaded as initially expected at the QB position, but it may be one of the worst we've ever seen in recent memory. The top prospect, Fernando Mendoza, looks solid, but there's a huge drop off after him. Mendoza is likely going first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, and rightfully so. The Steelers virtually have no shot at him; they've been mocked to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at 21, however. Simpson had a decent start to his 2025 season, but had a hard fall-off. Pundits are saying that it would be a very Kenny Pickett-esque pick for the Steelers if Simpson is their first-round selection.
Steelers insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently posted the transcript of his recent live chat. He was asked about Howard getting the chance to start over any new draft pick. He says that Howard will have a chance and also reaffirms that the team will not select a quarterback in the first round.
"No, he is going to get a shot," Dulac explained. "Their plan, as I stated earlier, is to go all-in on working with him and see what they have. They are not taking a QB in the first round because there aren't any after Mendoza. And the only way they are taking one in the third round (possibly the second) is if they believe he has a bigger upside than Howard."
The team has too many needs on the roster to draft a quarterback that would be a huge project. It just wouldn't fit their timeline. They are built to win now; the Pittman trade and Dean signing are win-now moves. Howard is also a huge project, but none of the quarterbacks outside of Mendoza have much more upside than Howard, if any at all.
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Steelers QB Will Howard during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Howard at least won a National Championship, that's something no one can take from him, but he was a sixth-round pick for a reason.
Steelers Are Almost Forced To Bring Rodgers Back
As previously mentioned, the Steelers' roster is built to win now. It has been like this for years, making win-now moves. They cycled through veteran quarterbacks, thinking they might've only been a quarterback away. That obviously wasn't the case as the defense has been getting annihilated in big games. With a new coaching regime at the helm, things change: they will have fresh ideas on defense, but, more importantly, a new-look offense. Mike McCarthy is a respected offensive coach around the NFL. Now, he's a Steeler.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy speaking during his opening press conference on January 27th, 2026.
With that being said, the Steelers need Rodgers back. He is currently likely their best option at winning a Super Bowl. Rodgers played admirably in 2025, but he took a beating. He didn't have any reliable weapons outside of Metcalf, but now he does. He has Pittman as his WR2, and Dowdle as his running back 1b. Rodgers could look much better with the McCarthy system and high-caliber weapons playing around him.
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