Former Ohio State star Will Howard knows he is in a privileged position at the Pittsburgh Steelers, and wants to maximize his opportunity of learning from four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers
09:56 ET, 14 Nov 2025
Will Howard and Aaron Rodgers stand on the practice field
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Will Howard wants to learn as much as possible from Aaron Rodgers(Image: Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard is desperate to make the most of his opportunity to learn from Aaron Rodgers, and the former Ohio State star is going to great lengths to ensure he stores every possible nugget of wisdom.
Rookie signal-caller Howard is the Steelers' third-string QB behind Rodgers and Mason Rudolph after a hand injury suffered in training camp wrecked his chances of winning the backup role.
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But the 24-year-old is desperate to make the most of the opportunities he has, particularly considering this season could be his only chance to work closely with four-time MVP Rodgers, who appears set to retire at the end of the campaign.
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Time is of the essence for Howard to soak up as much knowledge as he can, and the Pennsylvania native has gone to the length of creating a Word document to store all of the tidbits of information he gathers from being alongside one-time Super Bowl champion Rodgers in the quarterback room.
"I literally have a Word document of the nuggets I get from Aaron every day,” Howard told reporters. “If there’s something that he tells me or something he says in meetings, I’ll try to write it down. Just have a little bank of the things that I’m learning.”
Howard, a sixth-round pick after steering Ohio State to a national championship, is set to take a step forward in his development this weekend, with the former Kansas State QB elevated to the active roster after being taken off injured reserve.
Will Howard throws a pass
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Howard will be on the 53-man roster for Sunday's game against the Bengals(Image: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Steelers had until Wednesday to activate Howard, or he would have had to spend the rest of the season without the prospect of seeing the field.
The team duly designated him to return, waiving running back Trey Sermon to make space for Howard on the 53-man roster for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Former Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden is confident that Howard has a big future ahead of him.
"I love Will Howard. I'm thankful that he is up. I'm shocked that he's gonna be on the bench much longer," Gruden told 93.7 The Fan this week.
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"I just think he has everything that you're looking for. We won a Super Bowl with Brad Johnson. He's got that prototype size I like. He's 6-4, he's 225, 230. He's built like a horse. I mean, he's a big guy [who] can run the ball. You can run the quarterback power plays and all these quarterback draws that everybody likes to run.
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"He's a winner, man. This guy's a winner. He won big at Kansas State, they won the Big 12. He won the national title. He was the wow factor. He's got a photographic memory. He's a great communicator.
"I'll be shocked if he's not one hell of an NFL quarterback, and I told a couple of my friends in Pittsburgh, I told [general manager] Omar Khan, 'I can't believe you got him in the sixth round.'"