The Pittsburgh Steelers & Aaron Rodgers Quarterback Dilemma
What will the Steelers do at quarterback in 2026 and beyond?
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.
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.
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.
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.