The Pittsburgh Steelers are relying on Aaron Rodgers to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2026 for what’s going to be his final season in the NFL, unless he changes his mind.
Rodgers surely won’t be out of a starting job unless he either gets hurt or the Steelers sit him for rest at the end of the season due to a playoff spot being locked up. That means the backup QB spot for this roster isn’t a huge issue.
However, the Steelers recently were named by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox as a landing spot for former first-round quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings in need of a change of scenery, J.J. McCarthy.
“If that occurs, he should hope to land with another team that doesn’t have a clear long-term QB answer sooner than later,” Knox writes. “Ideal Landing Spots: New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers.”
The Steelers being a landing spot for McCarthy would be a little bit odd. Sure, the future of their quarterback position is very much in doubt. But their QB room right now is mostly set.
After drafting Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Will Howard as a high-upside depth piece, and with Mason Rudolph as the team’s QB2, there’s not a really clear fit for McCarthy on the roster.
If the Steelers didn’t have Rodgers and one of Allar or Howard were not on the team, then they would make sense as a landing spot for McCarthy.
But, considering the Steelers essentially have their quarterback room completed, it’s odd for them to be linked to someone like McCarthy as a trade destination.
Pittsburgh is probably better off sticking with Howard and Allar instead of adding McCarthy to this QB room, especially after his production during his first season as an NFL starter.
Last year for the Vikings, in his first season as a starter, he had a 72.6 passer rating with a 35.6 quarterback rating. He had 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions with a 57.6% completion rate and 1,632 yards passing in 10 games.
Knox naming the Steelers as an “ideal” landing spot for McCarthy in a trade if he loses the QB1 job to Kyler Murray doesn’t make much sense. He wouldn’t have a good fit on the roster and would potentially be even further buried on the depth chart than in Minnesota.
