For months now, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback room has been a topic of discussion. Finally, Aaron Rodgers agreed to sign with the Steelers this past week. That completes the room, consisting of Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson. Although Rodgers being in town could benefit the team as a whole, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger thinks Howard will be helped the most.
“I think the person that’s gonna benefit the most from all of this is Will Howard,” Roethlisberger said in an episode of his Footbahlin podcast, aired on Tuesday. “Because he gets to see how a Hall of Fame guy [Aaron Rodgers] does it, for good, bad, and different, whatever’s gonna happen. He can see how Mason [Rudolph], who has been a journeyman… Mason’s kind of done a lot of things, so Will gets to sit back and be like, okay, I see how he approaches it… He is gonna benefit the most from this whole thing.”
Since draft weekend, Howard has not been shy when it comes to showing his affection to the Steelers. Likewise, Roethlisberger has been outspoken in his support for the young quarterback. He had Howard on his podcast before the rookie minicamp. Howard himself has also mentioned how helpful Roethlisberger has been as a mentor.
With Rodgers now in the building, however, Howard’s future becomes more complicated. He’s a sixth-round pick, so any meaningful playing time earlier in his career might be more than expected. With that said, he’s quickly becoming a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. From getting extra reps in after practice to impressing at OTAs, he’s garnering far more excitement than most players drafted late on Day 3 ever do.
With that said, he won’t play much of a role in 2025. Rodgers is the starter, and although he’s up there in age, he played 17 games last year. Even if something were to happen to Rodgers, Rudolph would likely end up the backup due to his familiarity with the team.
The Steelers seem to be looking at the 2026 draft as a chance to land their next franchise quarterback. Thus, Howard’s in a tricky situation. He might not get a chance to prove himself this year, aside from some preseason action. And next offseason, the Steelers might have the opportunity to land a quarterback early in the draft, whom they could prefer over Howard.
One thing we know is that Howard’s got a good head on his shoulders. He says all the right things and has become one of the more likable rookies in Pittsburgh recently. At the very least, he gets to learn from a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers. With that in mind, there are far worse situations for a rookie to be in.
