One of the biggest priorities of Mike McCarthy’s tenure in Pittsburgh will be finding and developing the Steelers’ next franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, this isn’t the best offseason for the team to need help at the position. Picking 21st in the first round, the Steelers don’t really have a standout option early in the draft. The trade market isn’t especially impressive, and Malik Willis looks like the most attractive option in terms of free agents.
The Steelers do have one young quarterback already in Will Howard. With how barren the market is, many feel as if the Steelers might be better off rolling with Howard. With the 2025 sixth-round pick on a cheap rookie contract, they could build the roster around him in the meantime. But to former Steeler James Harrison, there is one advantage to signing Willis instead.
“If I knew what Will Howard could do, I would feel one way or another about his stronger versus the other. What I do like about Malik, dude, he got in-game, high pressure, competition in the playoffs, and he did well. And I don’t know what type of system Green Bay running over there compared to what Mike McCarthy did. If it’s anywhere close, you got a dude that was over there doing it,” Harrison said Monday on his Deebo & Joe podcast. “At least we seen [Willis] in real competition. The Will Howard thing, does anybody have any idea?”
Willis has only mad six NFL starts, and just three of them have come in the last two seasons. However, he did look good during that time. His only start during the 2025 season came against Baltimore, and that game likely earned Willis a big paycheck. He completed 18-of-21 passes and 288 yards and was responsible for three total touchdowns.
While he didn’t start, Malik Willis played the previous week against Chicago after an injury knocked Jordan Love out of the game. He looked impressive then too, completing 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in an overtime loss.
After those performances, he will be expensive in free agency. The potential is clearly there, and Willis proved his ability to threaten defenses with both his arm and his legs. In a bearish market, that’s going to earn him a big payday with several quarterback-needy teams bidding against each other. If the Steelers get in that mix, it could be a costly investment.
And it certainly would make some sense to save that money for different spots on the roster. However, starting Howard is a big risk in itself since he’s yet to take a snap in even an NFL preseason game. Although it’s a very small sample size, Harrison makes a good point. We’ve at least seen Willis have success in high-pressure games before.
Having to choose between a sixth-round pick with no experience, and a third-round pick from 2022 with just six NFL starts isn’t the most enviable position to be in. But it’s a situation the Steelers could find themselves in, especially if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return.
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