The Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting on Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old future NFL Hall of Famer could return to Pittsburgh for a second season with the black and gold. He could also sign with another quarterback-needy team in the desert, too. The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone. NFL Free Agency kicked off nearly two months ago. A lot has happened in the NFL, but one thing that has not happened is Rodgers signing with an NFL team, the Steelers, or anyone else.

Historically, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers have not had much in common. However, the two AFC North rivals do have something in common at the moment – neither franchise is settled at quarterback this year and beyond. Both franchises have taken fliers on mid-to-late-round quarterbacks the last two draft cycles. For Pittsburgh, it’s been Will Howard and Drew Allar. For Cleveland, it’s been Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green. You wondered if either would take a first-round chance on former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson this year, but neither franchise did. Both the Browns and Steelers have a lot of different options at quarterback this season, but this is one of those positions where you don’t want a lot of different options. You want to be like the other two teams in the division, with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in tow, where you have your franchise quarterback, and that’s that.

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The Steelers went 10-7 with Rodgers last season and won the AFC North. They did, however, of course, get clobbered by the Houston Texans at home in the Wild Card Round, 30-6. The Steelers are closing in on a full decade since their last playoff victory. With or without Aaron Rodgers in the fold this season, it seems very unlikely that the streak ends this year. One worry of a Rodgers return, though, is that even at 42 years old, he is still excellent enough to keep the Steelers from drafting anywhere near the top of the 2027 NFL Draft. It’d be one thing if the roster around Rodgers were built for a Super Bowl run this season like it was for Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, but that’s not the case in Pittsburgh. The roster is a whole lot closer to the Atlanta Falcons than it is to the Seattle Seahawks.

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It certainly seems clear with the hiring of Mike McCarthy this offseason and the continued chase of Rodgers that Pittsburgh is not interested in tearing it down to the studs like Miami. The Falcons are doing the same. The Green Bay Packers never do. Not every team has to or maybe even needs to. But if there were ever a year to tear it down just a tad, and not sign Rodgers, 2026 would be the season to do it. Even with how loaded the 2027 quarterback class portends to be, the Steelers just won double-digit games with Rodgers last season, and, if he returns, you have to wonder how many quarterbacks are taken ahead of where Pittsburgh would end up making their first selection.

The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers went 6-10 and used the No. 11 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to select Ben Roethlisberger. With a full season of Rodgers like we saw in 2025, winning six or fewer games in 2026 doesn’t seem likely. On the other hand, a collection of starts at quarterback between Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar could put Pittsburgh in a better position to not have to potentially use additional draft capital to move up for a quarterback next year that they like a lot. The Steelers might not need to tear this thing all the way down, but they do need to take another swing on a quarterback high atop the first round like the team did all the back in 2004.

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If Rodgers returns, there is a lot to like about the 2026 Steelers’ offense. The wideout trio of DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Germie Bernard could be really good. Rico Dowdle has rushed for over 1,000 yards the last two seasons and should complement Jaylen Warren nicely in the backfield. The Steelers have invested premium draft picks at the tackle spots over the last couple of years. While Pittsburgh declined left tackle Broderick Jones’ fifth-year option a few days ago, the Steelers used a first-round pick on former Arizona State right tackle Max Iheanachor in this year’s draft. They used a 2024 first-round pick on former Washington right tackle Troy Fautanu. Tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are a nice combination, too. Rodgers has a lot to work with in 2026 if he indeed returns to Pittsburgh this fall. Even better, a quarterback taken early in the first round of next year’s draft by Pittsburgh would as well. The problem is that you might not be able to get to the latter with the former.

The biggest quarterback question in Pittsburgh is not what Rodgers elects to do this offseason. It’s what the Steelers elect to do at quarterback next offseason. If the class is as loaded as many folks predict it to be at quarterback, 2026 needs to be a step-back year for Pittsburgh. The Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and the Minnesota Vikings could all take a quarterback in the first round next season, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

That’s a lot of competition.

The Steelers didn’t need to go 2-14 the last time they drafted their franchise quarterback, but they did need to lose double-digit games. If Rodgers returns, that seems unlikely. Rodgers spurning Pittsburgh for the Cardinals or even retirement might sting at first, but it also could be something we say was the best thing longterm for the franchise this time next year, too.

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Interestingly enough, a lot of folks who write and talk about the NFL Draft loved what the Browns were able to do last year, too. The Browns took former UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger in the second round of the draft last year, and he won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Browns took former Ohio State and Ole Miss star tailback Quinshon Judkins, and he tallied over 800 yards on the ground in 14 games, in the second round, too. Their third-round selection, former Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin, reeled in 72 receptions for 731 yards and six scores. A whole lot of production from their early-draft choices in 2025, which doesn’t even include top-5 selection Mason Graham, who did have 7 TFLs and 4 QB hits to pair with 17 starts.

All of this first-year production should excite Browns fans when you consider general manager Andrew Berry made five additional selections in the first three rounds in this year’s draft. With nine picks in the first three rounds across back-to-back seasons, Cleveland could really have a stew going.

But they also took two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft – Dillon Gabriel in the third and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth. They took Taylen Green in the sixth round this year. They still have Deshaun Watson on the roster. Barring a breakout season from Gabriel, Sanders, or Green, it should not come as a surprise if Cleveland takes another quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, given how loaded a class it portends to be. That’s right, Cleveland could take four quarterbacks across three consecutive drafts, and chances are you would still look at what Cleveland did in 2025 and 2026 on the whole and commend them on a job well done.

How interesting is that?

The Browns are in a unique spot in which they have earned back-to-back ‘A’ grades for their draft choices while using three of their seventeen picks on quarterbacks. A lot of that obviously has to do with when they’re taking the quarterbacks. Berry took fliers on Gabriel and Sanders after four other positions: defensive tackle, linebacker, tight end, and running back. This year, Berry took a flyer on Green after addressing six other positions: offensive tackle, wide receiver, safety, center, linebacker, and tight end. The Browns have poured a whole lot of draft capital into areas of need while also taking fliers on quarterbacks in the third, fifth, and sixth rounds, respectively, over the last two seasons. If one of the quarterbacks hits during this period, great, but if not, that’s perfectly fine, too, because they haven’t reached for anyone in the first or second round.

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It’s not a coincidence that the last homegrown quarterback to flourish in Cleveland also happened to be Cleveland’s last No. 1 overall pick in Baker Mayfield. The best way to find your franchise quarterback is in the first round. It doesn’t mean that’s the only way, but it has proven to be the most common way. The Browns haven’t taken a quarterback in the first round since Mayfield in 2018. With Arch Manning and more talented quarterbacks looming in the 2027 class, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland finally dipped their toes back into the water when it comes to taking quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft.

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If that is the route the Browns go in 2027, the team will have threaded the needle of drafting well in preparation for that kind of quarterback investment. The Browns have used their first picks in the first round the last two seasons in the trenches – defensive tackle last season and offensive tackle this season. They took two offensive tackles and two wide receivers across the first 86 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. They have invested in running back, at linebacker, and at safety, too. They’ve retained the NFL single-season sack leader Myles Garrett through it all, too.

Cleveland currently has four gigantic unknowns at quarterback in Watson, Gabriel, Sanders, and Green. It remains to be seen if the team will use its own first-round pick on a quarterback next season. What we do know is that Berry and the front office are building a foundation for potential success in Cleveland for whichever quarterback ultimately figures it out under center with the Browns. Devoid of context, how many folks would assume Cleveland has nailed back-to-back drafts if you lead with they took three quarterbacks? Probably not many, and while Cleveland must solve the most pressing need for their franchise sooner rather than later, it does not have to be solved this season. Cleveland can nail back-to-back drafts while also throwing dart after dart when it comes to the quarterback position at present. Even better, the team’s new head football coach, Todd Monken, had a lot of success as the offensive coordinator at Georgia when the quarterback situation was certainly uncertain.

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Cleveland is probably not going to be a great team in 2026, but their last two drafts are putting them in a position to become one if they can solve their quarterback conundrum sooner rather than later. 2027 is the year the Browns should take a real swing at taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft. The team hasn’t found consistent success since they last used a first-round pick on a quarterback. They could have reached for a quarterback in the first or second round this year. They could have last year, too, but to their credit, they were patient and took their fliers in the third round and beyond to ensure that when they do take a big swing in the first round, perhaps next spring, that quarterback is walking into a great situation where early-round draft capital the last couple of cycles has been used smartly. If this year’s class is as productive as last year’s for Cleveland, that just might be the case for the Browns next franchise quarterback.

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