The Pittsburgh Steelers' hiring of Mike McCarthy as their head coach wasn't the most beloved option among many fans.
But former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard is among those likely celebrating. Even with the longtime Packers coach possibly reuniting with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, McCarthy expressed confidence in Howard as the future option.
Still, there's a lot of outside doubt that it actually comes to fruition. NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who played against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, believes the team should retain Rodgers as the starting quarterback.
"Aaron's probably better than a lot of the guys that they're gonna get," Warner said on the Rich Eisen Show. "People are throwing around Malik Willis, but I think Aaron probably gives you the best chance to have that kind of success again. But the longer that you go with him, the more you prolong finding and playing and getting to the level with the next guy."
However, Warner isn't eliminating the idea of a younger player or backup option getting a chance. So Howard's name may not be completely out of his mind in the grand scheme.
"With what I see on the landscape of where the Steelers Draft and who they have now, I think Aaron gives them the best chance to have a semblance of success. But I just don’t know if that’s the route you wanna go as you start to rebuild this thing and you wanna get back to championship level," Warner said. "Unless they make some dramatic move, I don’t think this team is a championship type of team next year."
Warner used his tenure with the New York Giants to illustrate what Pittsburgh is possibly going through right now.
"We wanted our quarterback ready when the team was ready," Warner said. "So let’s play the young quarterback and let him grow and learn, so two years down the road when we build the team, he’s also ready. So I fully understand how they could go that route as well. Like they're gonna take their lumps and may not be a winning team next year for the first time in a long time. But we’re building something big picture to become a Super Bowl champion, which to me is what it’s all about and what they’re looking for in Pittsburgh."
Howard is a tricky case as a sixth-round Draft pick coming off a national championship in 2025. He spent four seasons at Kansas State as an afterthought before exploding in his fifth year for a legendary run at Ohio State. Pittsburgh selected him to compete with Rodgers and Mason Rudolph in the quarterback room.