The Pittsburgh Steelers head into this offseason knowing they need a long-term answer at quarterback, especially if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return. However, they’re far from the only team in the league needing an upgrade at the position. Things might be difficult if the Steelers choose to bid on the top upcoming free agent at the position, Malik Willis.
Willis only has six career starts, despite being drafted in 2022. But he’s been impressive in those starts and has a lot of potential, if his arm can continue to develop. He may have his own bidding war, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
“I think Malik Willis is gonna have a really, really good market. Like, when he’s played in some tough situations, he has been really impressive,” Rapoport said Tuesday on The Rich Eisen Show. “Gonna have competition.”
Willis certainly has been thrown into some difficult moments. The 2025 season was a good example of that. Late in the season, Jordan Love suffered an injury against Chicago in Week 16. Willis stepped in and kept the ship afloat. He completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and threw a touchdown on a deep route down the sideline.
The next week, he got the start against a Baltimore team fighting for a playoff spot, and he proved himself again. Malik Willis completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards, threw a touchdown and ran two in himself. There is always a risk when you have to bid high on a player with so little experience. But for what it’s worth, that experience has come in crucial games late in the season to decide playoff seeding. Willis has never been afraid of the moment.
That said, Rapoport still points to the chance of Rodgers returning.
“I think Pittsburgh would like to have Aaron Rodgers back. They’ve been in touch. They’ve been in contact. You know, I think there’s some hope there,” Rapoport said. “The fact that he’s already in contact with Mike McCarthy, the fact that he’s gonna decide before free agency, this is a good thing.”
We know Rodgers and Mike McCarthy have been in contact, which does point to Rodgers returning. He obviously knows McCarthy’s offense well, and when the pieces around him were clicking in 2025, things were rolling for a bit. If the Steelers can add the right talent around Rodgers, he’s still capable of moving the football.
The Steelers would have wanted Rodgers back anyways. But part of the quick interest is a result of the poor quarterback market. It’s a market dim enough that Malik Willis could earn quite the payday.
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