The Pittsburgh Steelers know that after the 2026 NFL season, they won’t have Aaron Rodgers under center.
Rodgers is gearing up to enter his 22nd – and final – season in the league, where he is destined to end up in the Hall of Fame regardless of what transpires in the NFL next season.
As it stands, surrounding him in the Steelers’ quarterback room are Will Howard, veteran Mason Rudolph, and rookie Drew Allar.
With just 34 games of experience – and 19 starts – between the three of them combined, the onus is on the 42-year-old to deliver once again, having led Pittsburgh to their first AFC North title since 2020.
But Yahoo! Sports analyst Frank Schwab is of the belief that Father Time may play a huge role in Rodgers’ ability on the gridiron for the 2026 NFL season.
“Look at Brett Favre last year. Look at how it went, okay? Like, it wasn’t pretty at all,” Schwab said on the Yahoo Sports Daily podcast on Saturday.
“He hit the wall hard. And I could see that happening for Aaron Rodgers.”
Favre, a three-time MVP for the league, played until his was 41 years old, but struggled in his final year with the Minneapolis Vikings, throwing for a career-low 2,509 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to 19 interceptions.
“Aaron Rodgers got by last year. He’s a perfectly reasonable quarterback, and for his age, it was impressive,” Schwab added. “But we’re getting to an age where only Tom Brady has had success.
“I could see Aaron Rodgers really struggling this year. You kind of saw some signs of it with him being a checkdown guy last year.”
Pittsburgh planning ahead
While Rodgers will likely start under center, barring any significant roadblocks, the Steelers appear to already be planning ahead for their future in 2027 and beyond.
Having now officially signed former Penn State quarterback Allar to his four-year rookie contract, worth $7.1 million, and with players reporting to training camp on Tuesday, the battle to be Rodgers’ back-up is heating up.
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An argument could be made that Rudolph is the favorite as things stand, due to having the most experience, but it is well known that new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has taken a huge liking to Howard.
The 24-year-old played five collegiate seasons split between Kansas State and Ohio State, with his breakout season coming in his senior year, leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship after completing 73 per cent of his passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns to just ten interceptions.
Despite this, he had to wait until the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to hear his name called out, and still awaits his official pro debut.
However, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes Howard is in pole position to be named Rodgers’ QB2 for the upcoming season.
“If I had to place odds on it, I think Will Howard is in pole position, so to speak,” Fittipaldo said Friday during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
“I think he had a good spring, but I don’t think he’s earned the job just yet. The preseason game’s gonna be huge for him.”
Should Howard perform well enough to impress McCarthy and the rest of the Steelers brass, then Fittipaldo is of the belief that Pittsburgh could look to move Rudolph on for draft assets.
“Traditionally, you’re not gonna get much for a guy like Mason,” he added. “I would think sixth, seven-round [pick] at best.”
Let the battle commence.
