The quarterback position remains a question for the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Aaron Rodgers waiting game continues. With Art Rooney II saying that he expects a Rodgers decision before the 2026 NFL Draft, many expect that the Steelers will head into the season with Rodgers starting or roll with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard and draft a third QB to add to the mix.
But what happens if Rodgers returns and the Steelers still draft a quarterback later this month? Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette opined that such a scenario would come at the expense of one veteran quarterback.
“Yes, Mason [Rudolph] odd man out,” Fittipaldo wrote in his weekly readers chat. “Not sure what you’d get in return. Maybe a sixth or seventh rounder.”
Rudolph being shipped out in this scenario makes the most sense. Rodgers would return for another season as the unquestioned starter and the Steelers would give a quarterback taken in the mid-rounds of 2026 draft a chance to develop. Will Howard has received plenty of praise from Mike McCarthy and with no obvious long-term answer at the position, the Steelers won’t cut him loose.
That leaves Rudolph.
Now in his second stint as a backup in Pittsburgh, Rudolph has shown to be a capable QB2 but at 30 years old, he doesn’t have the upside that Howard or a potential draft pick possesses. On the second year of a two-year deal, Pittsburgh could look to get something for a veteran quarterback with 19 career starts and a 30:22 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Recent quarterback trades around the league align with the sort of value that Fittipaldo suggested Rudolph could bring. At age 38, Andy Dalton was traded from the Carolina Panthers to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2027 seventh-round pick. After flaming out with the New York Jets, Justin Fields was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2027 sixth rounder. This came shortly after the Jets acquired Geno Smith to be their presumed starter from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Pittsburgh would probably expect to receive similar compensation for Rudolph, a player most teams would expect to slot in as a backup.
The conundrum that this would create for the Steelers is that they wouldn’t have a backup quarterback on their roster with any NFL experience. Will Howard was robbed of even throwing a pass in the preseason of his rookie year thanks to a broken bone in his right hand. While Rodgers stayed relatively healthy last season, he missed the Steelers’ Week 12 matchup with the Chicago Bears, a game that Mason Rudolph started and Pittsburgh ultimately lost. It may be a risky proposition to go into the season with no quarterback behind Rodgers who has ever thrown an NFL pass unless the Steelers believe Howard is ready to step in if needed.
There are still plenty of questions about the Steelers’ roster, and the draft will be a major step toward answering some. The quarterback position in particular will need to be sorted out sooner than later. Whether it’s committing to Aaron Rodgers or developing a young option, there will need to be some roster shuffling.
Recommended for you