The Pittsburgh Steelers have already gone through an insane amount of change during the 2026 offseason as Mike McCarthy was announced as the team's head coach. Many within the fan base were not very pleased with the hire, but there are some reasons to be optimistic. McCarthy is an offensive-minded guy, which is something Pittsburgh has not had at head coach in well over 50 years. He also knows how to put together a good staff. Those are two areas that Mike Tomlin did not excel in, which means Pittsburgh is hopefully taking some steps in the right direction.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy walks on the field with Nathaniel Hackett during his time with the Dallas Cowboys.
Pittsburgh now has its head coach and the coaching staff should start getting filled in soon, but fans are also curious about the plan at quarterback. Most people in Pittsburgh would like to see a young guy at the position, ideally Will Howard or a different quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, team insider Mike DeFabo joined 93.7 The Fan on Monday evening where he shared that he would call Aaron Rodgers the most likely starting quarterback for Pittsburgh in 2026.
"Well I think in the short-term, this certainly increases the likelihood that Aaron Rodgers is going to come back," DeFabo said. "If I had to handicap things, he would definitely be the leader in the clubhouse. Just because, you look at it, this was supposed to be a promising 2026 quarterback class."
The 2026 draft class was supposed to have a good amount of quarterbacks available in the first round, but that is not going to be the case. The only quarterback that seems to be a lock to go in the first round is Fernando Mendoza, and Pittsburgh has virtually zero chance of being able to land him. This leaves the organization with few options at quarterback, especially with a relatively weak free agent class as well.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks down at his play sheet while he watches practice in street clothes as the team works out during 2025 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Rodgers coming back to Pittsburgh became a hot topic once McCarthy was hired, but the organization wanted to be clear that he was not hired just to bring Rodgers back. The Steelers probably reached their ceiling with Rodgers at quarterback by getting to the Wild Card Round last season. The franchise needs to move forward at the position, and the only clear path towards doing that would be starting Howard. He has no expectations as he was a sixth-round pick, so many fans just want to see if he is decent. If he plays well, then that's great for the franchise. If he plays poorly, Pittsburgh will have a decent pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Rodgers, Howard, and Mason Rudolph are probably the strongest options to be the starter in 2026. Rodgers is likely the leader in the clubhouse as mentioned, but there will be some other options. Malik Willis is a highly-touted free agent, and Kyler Murray is probably going to change teams during the offseason. However, it is more likely that Rodgers will be under center in 2026 than any other option mentioned.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Should Expect More Of The Same If Aaron Rodgers Returns
Rodgers played well for Pittsburgh in 2025, it was probably the best season from a quarterback in the black and gold since Ben Roethlisberger was playing. However, his lack of mobility was a killer for the offense. He could not extend plays often, and that was on full display against the better defenses in the league. DeFabo spoke more about what would worry him with Rodgers coming back.
"My fear would be, not that it's going to be a disaster with Aaron Rodgers, it's clearly not going to be as last year showed," DeFabo said. "But it's going to leave them right here in the middle. He's a quarterback that can get them to nine, 10 wins. When they see a good defense in the playoffs, have very little chance of succeeding."
DeFabo echoed worries of many fans with that statement. It would just be more of the same in Pittsburgh with Rodgers back most likely. The Steelers need to move on and take the first step towards finding a franchise quarterback, and that would be starting Howard or another young signal-caller from later on in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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