The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a revolving door at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired four years ago, and that could be the case next season as well.
Aaron Rodgers is coming off a solid season with the Steelers, but he’s also 42 and suffered a disastrous playoff performance. Even if Pittsburgh wants him back, he may retire or try to play elsewhere.
If Rodgers leaves or hangs it up, the Steelers will have a new quarterback next season. They could give Will Howard a shot, although the 2025 sixth-round pick didn’t play at all last season. They could also try to bring in another veteran to replace Rodgers or draft a new quarterback in April.
On a recent episode of his “Footbahlin” podcast, Roethlisberger explained what he would do if he were Pittsburgh’s GM.
Big Ben on Will Howard
“If Aaron’s not in the scenario I would go with Will Howard this year. But what I would do is, I would bring in a veteran quarterback.”#steelers
🎥 Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger pic.twitter.com/XfeKAoXT4H
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) January 21, 2026
“I don’t think it hurts to try to bring Aaron back if you can, if he wants to, for another year, for the reason of helping Will Howard grow for another year,” Roethlisberger said. “If Aaron’s not in the scenario, I would go with Will Howard this year. But what I would do is, I would bring in a veteran quarterback that is a league minimum-type quarterback that is a great teammate, a guy that can still help.”
Story continues below advertisement
Roethlisberger named Marcus Mariota, Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold as possible targets in that scenario.
Roethlisberger’s right that the Steelers should give Howard a chance and see what they have in him. If he shows promise and succeeds, great. If not, they can pivot and try to draft a new quarterback next year.
Story continues below advertisement
Time will tell how things play out with Rodgers, but at least Pittsburgh has options if he moves on.
More Steelers: Steelers Legend Reveals Top Criteria For Mike Tomlin’s Replacement
Story continues below advertisement