The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a decision on who to keep at quarterback ahead of the 2026 season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided to carry all four quarterbacks heading into the 2026 season: Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Drew Allar, and Will Howard.
Rodgers will be the starter as he enters his final season in the league. The 42-year-old completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in the 2025 season for the Steelers.
The four-time MVP is no longer in his prime, but he is still an accurate passer and led Pittsburgh to an AFC North title and a playoff appearance last season.
Behind Rodgers, the Steelers have veteran Mason Rudolph as the backup. Rudolph has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 4,925 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions in his six years in the league. He should be a stable backup behind Rodgers.
Pittsburgh's future quarterback could be either Will Howard or Drew Allar. Howard is entering his second year in the league and had a prolific 2024 season at Ohio State. In that campaign, he completed 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while rushing for 226 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the preseason, Howard completed 26 of 40 passes for 229 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectAllar had a solid collegiate career at Penn State as a three-year starter, completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 7,402 yards, 61 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while adding 732 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
Allar was solid in the preseason, completing 30 of 54 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Howard and Allar both showed flashes in the preseason, and one of them could develop into the future starter for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has a talented roster heading into the 2026 season as they look to win a second-straight division title and make it back to the playoffs. However, they have a new head coach, with Mike McCarthy taking over for Mike Tomlin.
With Rodgers' familiarity with McCarthy, the Steelers should be competitive despite the talent of other AFC North teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
