From Russell Wilson to Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been unwilling to briefly close their competitive window to reset for a better future. But with Rodgers already calling 2026 his final year, could we finally be headed toward a rebuild?
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo is skeptical that the Steelers are actually ready to turn the page to one of their young developmental quarterbacks.
“I don’t wanna freak out the fans, but as we sit here today, do you think they’re a hundred percent done with the vets? Do you automatically think it’s gonna be [Will] Howard, or [Drew] Allar, or a draft pick,” Fittipaldo said Friday on his Steelers Collective podcast.
With Howard and Allar waiting in the wings and developing behind Rodgers, the natural progression would be for one of them to get the chance in 2027. Given Art Rooney II’s disdain for the word “rebuild” and his preference to always compete, it’s fair to wonder if Rodgers will be their final veteran retread experiment.
Just look at the state of the roster in 2027. How many starters are set to hit free agency? As of right now, just Patrick Queen, Keeanu Benton, Jaquan Brisker, and Joey Porter Jr. And there’s a good chance Porter and/or Benton get extended this offseason.
Unless the Steelers start cutting veterans to signal a true rebuild, not that much changes from 2026 to 2027. They would still have one of the highest-paid defenses, a young and rising offensive line, and plenty of skill-position players to power a competitive offense in Pittsburgh.
From Rooney and the front office’s perspective, they could easily trick themselves into being “a quarterback away.”
Perhaps their opinion of Howard or Allar is high enough to think they can catch lightning in a bottle with a first-time starter. Or they could turn back to the veteran market to see what it has in store. Just look at the Seattle Seahawks in 2025 with Sam Darnold. They were a quarterback away, and they got the job done with a Super Bowl championship.
Who might those veteran quarterback options be? For starters, some of the 2026 free agents should be available once again. Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray, and Kirk Cousins are all set to hit free agency in 2027. Baker Mayfield is also scheduled to become a free agent if negotiations fall apart in Tampa Bay, though the Buccaneers could opt to place a tag on him next year.
“I think it might be a little bit higher percentage that it might be another, I don’t want to say retread, but it might be somebody who’s been around for a while,” Fittipaldo said.
Would the Steelers be willing to let their aging and very expensive defense go to waste? And what about their offensive line that is finally rounding into form? If the answer is no, then perhaps they aren’t done with veteran quarterbacks to desperately cling onto whatever is left of their window to compete.
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