The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a questionable quarterback situation over the last several seasons. No player from the 2024 quarterback room is still on the roster, and the room is completely revamped. For a while, the only quarterback on the roster was Skylar Thompson, and then the organization brought back Mason Rudolph in free agency. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the franchise selected Will Howard in the sixth round, but none of those three options were considered reliable starters. This led Pittsburgh to being connected with Aaron Rodgers, which it has been since March, and the quarterback eventually signed to a one-year deal.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looking on during a game with the Jets in 2023.
The Steelers will be starting Rodgers throughout the 2025 season, and he gives Pittsburgh a good chance to finally be competitive within the AFC. He continued to improve throughout the 2024 season as he bounced back from a serious Achilles injury that he suffered in 2023, and he wound up throwing 28 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions on the year.
In addition to his on-field production, Pittsburgh is also hoping the quarterback will be able to mentor the first year player in Howard during the 2025 season. The veteran spoke to the media after practice on Tuesday, and he was asked about how he mentored Jordan Love while he was with the Green Bay Packers. He was then asked if he wanted to do that again with Howard.
"I am," Rodgers said about looking forward to mentoring Howard. "Will's a good kid. We've got to talk a little bit. I thought he did really well today. He seems pretty bright. Not too big for him, going through the progressions really well. But yeah, I'm going to be with him every single day, in every single meeting, found my seat next to him today in the offensive meeting. Whether or not that sticks, right next to Will Howard. I'm going to help him out as much as I can."
This is great news for the fan base in Pittsburgh who has been hoping to find a long-term solution at quarterback for quite some time now. Rodgers is the perfect quarterback to have for a season who can mentor Howard during that time, which will hopefully give Howard an edge moving forward in his career.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers rookies Kaleb Johnson and Will Howard during the first day of rookie minicamp in 2025.
Rodgers has taken on the mentor role a few times throughout his career. He did it with Love in Green Bay, and he also did it with Zach Wilson while he was with the New York Jets. The Jets were on Hard Knocks during the training camp version of the show ahead of the 2023 season, and Rodgers mentoring Wilson was certainly a focal point of the program. He will be looking to do the same thing with Howard.
Howard has shown a willingness to learn and get better ever since he arrived in Pittsburgh, so there is no doubt that he will be taking full advantage of Rodgers and trying to learn as much as possible.
Steelers Will Arguably Have Their Best Quarterback Since Ben Roethlisberger
Rodgers had a rocky couple of seasons with the Jets, but one was because of an injury that was out of his control. The second year started rough as he came back from his injury, and he got better as the year went on. He proved he was still a solid quarterback throughout the second half of the 2024 season, but the Jets were too dysfunctional of an organization to have any team success.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive line attacks former New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers during a regular season game in 2024.
Rodgers is now coming to one of the most stable franchises in the NFL, and he should be even better now that he is further removed from his Achilles injury. Pittsburgh fans want to experience a playoff victory for the first time in nearly a decade, and that is a possibility with Rodgers under center.
What do you think about Rodgers being committed to mentoring Howard? Let us know in the comments below!
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