For all the buzz on the quarterbacks presently on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, and the one in Aaron Rodgers who isn’t, Skylar Thompson is something of a media afterthought. Though not first on the depth chart, Thompson was the first quarterback Pittsburgh signed for the 2025 season, inking a Reserve/Futures deal in January.
Speaking to reporters following Wednesday’s practice, Thompson explained what drew him to Pittsburgh beyond the empty depth chart.
“When this opportunity presented itself to come to Pittsburgh, I was really excited, honestly,” he told reporters via the team website. “Because I thought it’d be a great fit for me and thought this organization, obviously its history and its background.
“But I thought the values and the way that it’s ran, it is very similar to myself and my core values and what I believe in. So I was really excited to have this opportunity here and it’s been great.”
Thompson discussed the difficulty of being released for the first time, cut by the Miami Dolphins late last season before finishing the rest of it on the practice squad. A seventh-round pick pressed into action as a rookie, Thompson comes to the Steelers with the NFL experience the organization prefers. In 2022, Thompson appeared in seven regular-season games and started two, leading a Week 18 victory over the New York Jets that technically eliminated the Steelers from postseason contention. Thompson also started the team’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, a narrow loss after being considering serious underdogs.
Thompson didn’t play in 2023 but saw brief action last year, starting in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks. He and the Dolphins’ struggled in a 19-13 loss and he didn’t throw a pass a rest of the season.
In a reunion of sorts, Skylar Thompson and Will Howard are teammates again after battling at Kansas State. Howard replaced Thompson one season due to injury before taking over the job once Thompson graduated. While competition abounds, Thompson says the Steelers’ new-look quarterback room has worked together, too.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Mason and [coaches Tom Arth and Matt Baker],” he said. “They’ve accepted me with open arms, and we’ve gotten to work. It’s been very refreshing, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Pittsburgh always carries three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, leaving Thompson as the No. 3. But the team also always carries four quarterbacks during training camp. If Rodgers becomes that fourth, Thompson could be squeezed out of reps. Still, he has something Howard doesn’t have, NFL snaps, and that could give him the initial edge in the offseason. Thompson has played inside stadiums and started a playoff game, making a pad-less OTA practice easy by comparison.
Still, Howard is the favorite to make the team, and Thompson will have to clearly outperform him to secure a roster spot. For now, the focus is on maximizing reps while the team still only has three quarterbacks. If Thompson drops to No. 4, work will be scarce.
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