PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin’s historic 19-year run is officially over. Aaron Rodgers looks like a one-and-done rental. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback plans for 2026 remain a glaring question mark as the front office scrambles to find the next face of the franchise.
You can almost feel the tension radiating from the South Side facility. General Manager Omar Khan and new head coach Mike McCarthy stare down a blank slate. They need a signal-caller. They need an identity. Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, Khan peeled back the curtain on the team’s internal discussions, suggesting the answer might already wear black and gold.
The Will Howard Equation
Khan outlined three distinct paths for Pittsburgh: sign a veteran, draft a rookie, or hand the keys to a familiar arm already waiting in the wings. That arm belongs to Will Howard.
Pittsburgh grabbed the former Ohio State standout in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 185th overall pick. Howard spent his rookie year holding a clipboard while Rodgers navigated the offense, absorbing the system but never seeing a regular-season snap. Now, the 6-foot-4 quarterback suddenly finds himself squarely in the middle of a massive positional battle.
Handing the franchise to a Day 3 pick sounds like a massive gamble. History tells a different story. Kurt Warner and Tony Romo dominated the league after going undrafted. Brock Purdy, currently running one of the most efficient offenses in football, heard his name called exactly 77 picks later than Howard. The draft pedigree means nothing once the whistle blows.
“We’re still trying to identify who that next franchise quarterback is for us; we don’t know. Is it Will Howard? We’ll see. But we’re not there yet. We have to figure that out. Mike [Tomlin] evaluated those quarterbacks last year. He was out, but he did evaluate him. He really liked Will. You know Will’s a winner; there is a lot to like about Will.”
— Omar Khan, Steelers General Manager
Playoff Implications / What’s Next
The Steelers offense faces a total reconstruction. Mike McCarthy confirmed earlier this week that the coaching staff is actively designing dual playbooks—one tailored for a returning Rodgers, and another built from the ground up for a young prospect like Howard. That kind of split preparation signals a front office actively bracing for a youth movement.
If Howard wins the job in training camp, the Steelers instantly gain massive salary cap flexibility. A quarterback on a sixth-round rookie contract allows Khan to aggressively pursue elite free-agent wide receivers and plug glaring holes on the offensive line. Opposing AFC North defenses will test Howard early, forcing him to prove he can process complex blitz packages at professional speed. The pressure rests entirely on Howard’s shoulders, and the way he responds will define the next decade of football in Pittsburgh.
