The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait for Aaron Rodgers to decide whether or not he will play football in 2026, with the NFL Draft just days away. In 2025, Rodgers waited until June to make his decision, and this year could be the same. Rodgers ended the 2025 season on a sour note, losing in the Wild Card Round in which the team scored just six points. His final pass of the season was a pick-six where he was pulled right after in favor of Mason Rudolph. The Steelers have been very adamant that they want Rodgers back, but Rodgers has said no contract has been offered.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
With the Steelers waiting for Rodgers' decision, they have made it known they're confident in former sixth-round pick Will Howard. Head Coach Mike McCarthy has said he is excited to work with the former National Champion. Howard has great size and can process the field, but his arm strength and footwork are questionable. McCarthy can hopefully fix that, but only time will tell. With Rodgers likely not deciding before the draft, Howard is the team's starting quarterback for minicamp. One Steelers legend believes there may be more to this whole debacle, and perhaps it could be part of the Steelers' plan.
Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison recently appeared on an episode of his show, Deebo & Joe, with co-host Joe Haden, where they discussed Rodgers. Harrison suggests that this whole situation may be being read incorrectly by Steeler Nation and that the Steelers want to see what they have in Howard before offering Rodgers a contract -- giving him reps with the first team offense in Organized Team Activities and even in training camp.
"I think the Steelers are moving how they wanna move right now," Harrison stated. "Now, listen to me, they're saying that they're going to go with Will Howard. They don't expect a decision from Aaron; however, that may be, whatever that process is... So the Steelers have said, you know what, we're not gonna make you make a decision. 'Cause we need to see what Will Howard can do. We're gonna give him OTAs, we're gonna give him training camp, we're gonna give him all the time he can get at the ones, with the ones to develop to see what it is that he can do."
The Steelers being the ones holding out on Rodgers would certainly be interesting. That would be putting a lot of faith in Howard, who hasn't even taken a preseason snap yet. Steelers Chairman Art Rooney II said he wants to remain competitive. Starting Howard would likely contradict that statement. No matter how much McCarthy can potentially develop Howard, he will still likely have growing pains.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard in warmups of a regular season game against the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 regular season.
Steelers Need To Think Twice About Will Howard
Steelers fans seem excited about the idea of Howard becoming the starter in Pittsburgh one day. If Howard can eventually become a star, that would be great for the franchise, but he was a sixth-round pick for a reason. Howard doesn't have off-the-charts athleticism, and he isn't the most talented passer. He doesn't have a high ceiling, and fans should caution putting such high faith into such a low draft pick.
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Pittsburgh Steelers QB Will Howard warms up prior to a home game against the Green Bay Packers in 2025.
The 2027 class of quarterbacks should be one of the deepest in recent memory. There will be viable options for the Steelers all over the first round, all of whom are projected to be better prospects than Howard. If the Steelers are serious about finding a franchise quarterback, they would look into next year's draft to find him. Giving Howard the keys could be a massive gamble and having Rodgers back for one more season could be the better option. Another year of developing Howard wouldn't hurt, and waiting to invest in the position until 2027 could have huge dividends.
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