Just like last offseason, we are forced to grapple with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup plan if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t commit to the team. Already we’ve heard from various league insiders about the possibility of adding somebody like Kirk Cousins if Rodgers falls through. But according to one prominent Steelers insider, Will Howard—not Cousins or any other veteran—is their clear backup plan.
“He is going to get a shot,” Gerry Dulac wrote in his weekly fan chat on Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Their plan, as I stated earlier, is to go all-in on working with him and see what they have.”
While Dulac thinks Rodgers will be their quarterback in 2026, he left no wiggle room when asked about their Plan B: “WH [Will Howard]”
He also shot down the idea of adding Cousins.
“The last thing the Steelers want to do is bring in another veteran starter, let alone an aging one,” Dulac wrote. “That is not in their plans.”
In the event Rodgers retires, they likely will add a veteran, just not one that would immediately be named the starter. Somebody like Joe Flacco or Tyrod Taylor could make sense in that role. Cousins would be signing somewhere with the idea of starting, but the other two have competed for their jobs in recent years. Neither will be joining with the expectation to start.
This is yet another confirmation that the Will Howard hype isn’t fabricated inside the Steelers’ building. Not to say it isn’t unusual that a sixth-round pick without even a preseason snap is generating this much buzz. It definitely is. But it also seems real.
Mike McCarthy immediately talked about Howard on his introductory media tour in Pittsburgh, sometimes bringing his name up unprompted. Omar Khan said he would eventually be given a chance to start. And Aaron Rodgers went out of his way to spend five minutes praising Howard on The Pat McAfee Show.
Until we at least see him in action during the preseason, the Howard hype is going to be met with intense skepticism around the league. A panel of ESPN analysts practically scoffed at the idea when Adam Schefter said they are “prepared” to turn to him in 2026 if Rodgers falls through.
We even had a second-round grade on him coming out of Ohio State. It’s not like draft evaluations are a perfect science. Just look at Kenny Pickett and Brock Purdy in 2022.
Part of the reason Mike McCarthy was hired was to identify and develop a young quarterback to set up a bright future for the franchise.
Will Howard is going to be his first major project, sixth-round status be damned.
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