The longer we wait for word on whether Aaron Rodgers will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026, the more questions will be asked about backup plans if that ultimately doesn’t happen. Kirk Cousins’s name has been thrown out as a possible Plan B if Pittsburgh needs to pivot from Rodgers but still wants the security of a veteran quarterback. The other prevailing narrative is that a shift to a young QB, either Will Howard or possibly a rookie from the 2026 NFL Draft, could be the fallback option. NFL insider Albert Breer threw cold water on that idea recently based on the construction of Pittsburgh’s roster.
“This would have seemed to be the natural point to do the Steelers thing and tear it down to the studs and lean in on the draft,” Breer said on the MMQB NFL Podcast. “And instead of doing that, they held on to obviously T.J. Watt and Jalen Ramsey. They bring back Cam Heyward. They sign Jamel Dean. They trade for Michael Pittman [Jr.]. They sign Rico Dowdle, who I believe is in his seventh year now.
“They’ve gone further into what they already had and they’re an older team. Part of that and maximizing a team like that is having an experienced quarterback who can unlock the know-how of all the guys on that offense. I’ve heard people say Will Howard. I just don’t see that as a team that is built to go with a young quarterback right now.”
Whether it’s the experienced free agents they brought in to contribute right away, the veterans they retained at key positions or even their choice of Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, it’s clear that the Steelers aren’t planning on a complete teardown this season. While Pittsburgh holds 12 picks in next month’s draft, few positions on its roster have a glaring hole for starting competition. It’s fair to say that the Steelers are in win-now mode, but what does that mean for quarterback, the largest X factor on the roster right now?
Many are eager to hand over the reins to a young quarterback to end the cycle of veteran stopgaps at the position and attempt to find the future franchise quarterback who can be a decades-long answer at football’s most important position. If that was the direction Pittsburgh was going to go, its roster would likely reflect that 2026 isn’t a win-now type of season.
The hype surrounding Will Howard is more than a typical sixth round draft pick. That likely stems from his exploits in college, winning the national championship in his final season at Ohio State, and the fact that he’s the only young quarterback on the roster. Even though we have yet to see Howard throw a pass in a preseason game (thanks to a broken bone he sustained in his throwing hand last training camp), he represents the closest thing to hope for the future at the position that the Steelers have at the moment.
A young quarterback, whether Howard or a draft pick, would come with growing pains. As Breer mentioned, the best way to maximize a veteran team with win-now expectations is a veteran quarterback. All signs continue to point to Rodgers eventually returning in 2026. But until it’s official, anything is possible.
Recommended for you