The Pittsburgh Steelers are still awaiting a decision from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers regarding what he’ll do in 2025, whether that’s play football — and do so for the Black and Gold — or retire.
While the Steelers would like to have Rodgers as their starting quarterback this season, he would be just a one-year Band-Aid at the position due to his age and the lack of a true future for him with the organization.
For former NFL GM and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum, if Rodgers is just going to be a one-year Band-Aid, the Steelers should play rookie sixth-round QB Will Howard and find out what they have. It could also better position the team for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Monday morning, Tannenbaum made the case for Howard.
“I think there’s another aspect to this, Greenie [Mike Greenberg]. Will Howard. If Aaron Rodgers is a Band-Aid for the year, ’cause again, he will be 42, Greenie. Let’s see what we have in Will Howard,” Tannenbaum said of the Steelers and needing to see what Howard has, according to video via ESPN. “He won a national championship, sixth-round pick and maybe by the end of the season they have something, or they don’t. And that will inform their plans for 2026 and beyond.
“But we all know about Mike Tomlin’s legendary streak. I agree with Graz [Dan Graziano] from a standpoint, even as a band-aid, it does seem odd to sign somebody so old so late in the process. If he had signed in March, he was there for the whole offseason, that would make sense. But we’ll see how it goes. I do think Will Howard will have a chance to play at some point though this season.”
The way the Steelers have handled the situation with Rodgers this offseason has been puzzling. They showed real interest in him early in the offseason during the first week of the new league year. They later hosted him for a visit to the South Side facility, spending time with him and giving him the lay of the land.
Since then, they’ve shown nothing but patience and understanding for a guy who has never played for them and realistically shouldn’t have garnered that type of respect, regardless of what he’s done to this point in his career. But that’s what the Steelers have done. They’ve made their bed. Now, they are lying in it.
Organized Team Activities start on Tuesday, and the Steelers won’t have Rodgers for them. That’ll leave Mason Rudolph, Howard and Skylar Thompson as the three quarterbacks on the roster. For Tannenbaum, Howard should be the guy.
He’s coming off of a national championship run with the Ohio State Buckeyes in his one season there, and he impressed with his leadership abilities, not to mention his toughness, accuracy and his overall ability to step up in a major way in the playoffs, leading the Buckeyes to the title.
Realistically, he doesn’t appear to have much of a shot at starting for the Steelers in 2025, especially if Rodgers signs — which many believe will happen. But he’s a worthwhile piece to try and develop for the Steelers, and he could be a late-round hit at the quarterback position.
Ideally, Rodgers signs with the Steelers, solidifying the starting quarterback job in 2025 and relegating Rudolph to a backup role. That would then push Howard into the QB3 role, which is what team owner and president Art Rooney II stated would be what the Steelers were searching for at the quarterback position in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving them someone to develop long-term.
With Pittsburgh, Howard is in a place he wanted to be all along. He fits offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme quite well.
Not only is it a good fit scheme-wise, but play style and build-wise, Howard lands in quite a good spot in Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania native is a big, strong, physical quarterback who fits what the Steelers have typically looked for throughout their history. Howard showed that size, strength and confidence during his collegiate career, particularly at Ohio State, though he had some great moments at Kansas State, too.
It would be nice to see him get some playing time in 2025 so the Steelers could figure out what they have him and help shape their plans for the 2026 season and beyond at the most important position in sports. But if Howard sees the field in 2025, something might have gone drastically wrong for the Steelers. Maybe that would be a good thing in the end, though.
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