Aaron Rodgers Mason Rudolph
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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac reported the Pittsburgh Steelers have nearly zero intentions of selecting a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to potentially replace Aaron Rodgers.
Until the Pittsburgh Steelers receive a final decision from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the 2026 NFL season, the team has a lot of moving parts behind center. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac provided detailed updates on those variables Monday.
In his report, though, Dulac indicated the Steelers, no matter what, have no plans to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“The Steelers have little if no intention of taking a quarterback with their top pick because they think there is only one — Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza — worthy of going in the first round,” wrote Dulac.
“But just because they wouldn’t draft a quarterback in the first round doesn’t mean they wouldn’t take one from among the four picks they have in Day 2. However, it’s more than likely it wouldn’t be until the third round.”
If the Steelers had an opportunity to land Fernando Mendoza, then things would be a lot more intriguing. But there’s essentially no trade scenario where the Steelers could move up for the right to acquire Mendoza.
The Indiana quarterback is the consensus No. 1 pick according to a majority of NFL draft pundits this spring.
If Mendoza is the only quarterback the Steelers would target in the first, we can conclude the team won’t be picking a signal-caller until Day 2.
Such a strategy would rule out Alabama’s Ty Simpson to Pittsburgh. NFL mock drafts have linked Simpson to the Steelers at No. 21 overall. Some mock draft experts have also proposed the Steelers moving up the board to select the Alabama signal-caller.
Aaron Rodgers Decision Won’t Impact Steelers QB Draft Plan: Report
There were two significant takeaway points in Dulac’s report. The first was the Steelers lack of interest in potential first-round quarterbacks not named Mendoza.
Secondly, how the timing of Rodgers’s 2026 decision could impact the Steelers. Simply put, Dulac wrote that it won’t.
“If [Rodgers] does return, that will bring a little more clarity to what the Steelers plan to do at the position. If he doesn’t, that will further muddle their plans for 2026 and could cause them to do something they likely had hoped to avoid – bring in another free-agent quarterback,” wrote Dulac.
“But it won’t force the Steelers into taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft out of desperation.”
That’s noteworthy beyond just the Steelers lack of interest in quarterbacks at No. 21 overall. Dulac’s report implies the team could add two new signal-callers this offseason.
The Steelers insider suggested that regardless of whether Rodgers returns or not.
Two more signal-callers would give the team a crowded 2026 quarterback room with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard already on the roster.
To be clear, Dulac didn’t write the Steelers will definitely add two more quarterbacks this offseason. But the insider proposed the scenario as a possibility — with or without Rodgers.
How Will Howard Will Impact Steelers’ 2026 Draft Board
While Dulac reported Rodgers won’t have any influence on the team’s quarterback moves for the future. Interestingly, though, Howard will.
Dulac wrote the Steelers won’t target a quarterback anywhere in the draft unless they recognize his upside as higher than the 2025 sixth-round pick.
“If [the Steelers draft a quarterback], it would only be because they believe that quarterback has a higher ceiling than Will Howard, last year’s sixth-round quarterback who continues to get lots of praise from the Steelers hierarchy,” wrote Dulac.
That makes a lot of sense. Howard could become a cut candidate if the Steelers have four quarterbacks entering training camp.
If Howard made the team in that scenario, though, then the rookie signal-caller might not.
So, should the Steelers have three quarterbacks on the roster before the draft, it wouldn’t be wise to select a new signal-caller unless he was clearly a better prospect than Howard.
Although the report all but ruled out the Steelers as a potential landing spot for Simpson, Dulac did add the team met with the Alabama quarterback at the 2026 NFL combine. Dulac also reported the Steelers interviewed Penn State’s Drew Allar and Miami’s Carson Beck.