Steelers Already Have QB on Hot Seat After Signing Aaron Rodgers

On Saturday, Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth $25 million, shaking up the quarterback room right before the start of voluntary minicamp on Monday.

The Steelers had veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph, 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, and 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar on the roster when Rodgers signed.

It's normal for league teams to keep three to four quarterbacks on the 90-man roster during OTAs. It gives the offense more arms to throw to extra receivers during the offseason.

However, the Steelers will need to trim their quarterback roster by the end of training camp when the team reveals its 53-man roster.

Pittsburgh already has one quarterback feeling the heat on Monday.

Per Brooke Pryor of ESPN, as was no surprise, Rodgers earned reps with the first team, with Howard taking reps with the second team. Rudolph was the third quarterback. Allar got reps with the fourth team.

It appears Rudolph will have a hard time making the 53-man roster this fall. Rudolph, 30, was a third-round pick in 2018. He spent one season with the Tennessee Titans in 2024 before rejoining Pittsburgh in 2025. He's appeared in 34 games and started in 19 games.

Even though Allar is behind Rudolph on the depth chart this spring, he shouldn't be in danger of being cut this summer. Pittsburgh invested a third-round pick in the former Penn State quarterback, and new head coach Mike McCarthy is using OTAs as a chance to rebuild the young talent.

Like we saw last year with the Cleveland Browns and Shedeur Sanders, starting out on the fourth string at OTAs doesn't mean he won't see more important reps in the future. But he'll have to show vast improvement before he unseats Howard.

Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Steelers purposely waited to sign Rodgers until Saturday so McCarthy could spend more time coaching Howard. McCarthy thinks the former Ohio State quarterback has potential.

"Part of the deal in Aaron Rodgers staying away until the start of OTAs was giving Mike McCarthy more time to work with and see what he had in Will Howard," Breer posted on X. 

"Hard to say what he'll become, but the Steelers coach seems to see something in him."

It'll be interesting to see how long the Steelers plan to give Rudolph to fight for a spot on the roster this summer. At some point, McCarthy will want to give better reps to Allar, and there won't be any point in having the veteran working on the fourth string.