As the Pittsburgh Steelers enter the 2026 offseason, a familiar question looms once again: who will lead the offense at quarterback? Aaron Rodgers, now 42, has not announced whether he plans to retire or return for another season in the Steel City. Will Howard has yet to take an NFL snap, but new head coach Mike McCarthy may be open to giving him an opportunity. Another veteran quarterback has also been linked to Pittsburgh in free agency too. However, he may not be the best fit for the Black and Gold.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center during Pittsburgh's 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
Malik Willis has spent the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers backing up Jordan Love. Willis has appeared in 11 games in the last two years, and in that span, he has thrown for 972 yards, six touchdowns, with zero interceptions, to go along with 261 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. On paper, those numbers look solid, especially when you factor in his athleticism and ability to make plays outside the pocket. Willis has also shown growth as a passer compared to his early NFL struggles, which is why his name keeps popping up in quarterback conversations around the league as he hits free agency.
Willis will likely get a shot to be a starter somewhere in 2026, but one NFL analyst doesn't think that Pittsburgh bringing him in would be the best choice. Former NFL quarterback and current analyst, Kurt Warner, made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show recently and he gave his thoughts on Pittsburgh's quarterback situation.
"Aaron [Rodgers] is probably better than a lot of guys that they're going to get [in free agency]. I know people have been throwing around Malik Willis, who has played well over the last couple of years. Is he that guy and answer? Do you go and get him?" Warner asked. "I think Aaron, and the way that he played that he probably gives you the best chance to have that kind of success again. But, the longer you go with an Aaron Rodgers, the more you prolong finding and playing and getting to the level with the next guy, and committing to the next guy."
Rodgers showed in 2025 that he still has enough left in the tank to help a team win right now, especially one with a strong defense and established skill players. At the same time, one more year with Rodgers is one more year not spent developing the next long-term answer.
The Steelers find themselves in a tricky situation, not only in terms of the quarterback position, but also what the team feels is best to do for the 2026 season and beyond. Rodgers gave Pittsburgh their best quarterback play since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, and he certainly was the driving factor behind the Steelers going 10-7 and winning the AFC North.
Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press
Packers quarterback Malik Willis looks to find a receiver during Green Bay's 22-16 loss against the Chicago Bears in Week 16 of the 2025 regular season.
If Rodgers comes back for another season, and the Steelers win 8-10 games, they'll find themselves in the exact same position a year from now, and the same could be said if they decided to sign a guy like Willis. Competitive, but not quite settled. Good, but not fully confident about the future.
If there's one goal that the Steelers have over the next half decade, it has to be finding that next franchise quarterback, and allowing Rodgers to return or signing Willis to a short-term deal might only prolong that process even more. Eventually, Pittsburgh will have to take a real swing, even if it means enduring some growing pains along the way.
Steelers’ Best Option Could Be Starting Will Howard
If the Steelers choose to head in a different direction at quarterback, giving Howard a real opportunity could make a lot of sense. Pittsburgh took Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but a hand injury sidelined him during the preseason, and he spent most of the regular season as the team’s emergency third-string quarterback.
Sebastian Foltz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers quarterback Will Howard at training camp in 2025 in Latrobe, PA.
While Howard has yet to see the field in an NFL game, a year spent learning from the sideline behind Rodgers may have actually worked in his favor. The former Ohio State quarterback was able to absorb the offense, adjust to the speed of the league, and develop without the pressure of being thrown into the lineup too early.
If the Steelers decide to roll with Howard in 2026, it would at least give them some clarity about what they have moving forward. If he performs well and helps lead Pittsburgh back to the postseason, he could emerge as a legitimate franchise option. If not, the organization would be in position to shift its focus toward what is shaping up to be a strong 2027 quarterback draft class.
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