Steelers' Will Howard Receives Seriously Bad News About Mike McCarthy

There was a legitimate chance that the Pittsburgh Steelers would have had to turn to Will Howard as the team's starting quarterback for 2026 had Aaron Rodgers not agreed to return for one more season. Head Coach Mike McCarthy would have been presented with an interesting decision, especially because of the organization selecting Drew Allar in the third round, as well as Mason Rudolph being present. However, as the franchise continues to look for a long-term solution a the most important position in the game, starting the former sixth-rounder would have made logical sense.

Howard could be considered the favorite to earn the backup job, but that doesn't mean McCarthy and co. see him as a 10-year starter. Allar needs time to develop, which is why it is reasonable to hand off the second-string job to the guy who has already been around an NFL locker room for a little over a year. However, it could spiral rather quickly depending on how Allar processes professional football.

One of the biggest challenges facing Howard is that, regardless of what McCarthy has said about him, the previous regime was responsible for drafting him back in 2025. Allar has the advantage of understanding that McCarthy was sold enough on him to take him in round three. This could soon present problems for someone like Howard.

On a recent episode of Steelers Collective, team reporter Ray Fittipaldo went into detail about the quarterback room. While the good news for Howard is that certain decision-makers have gotten to know him, the head coach is almost the same on a familiarity level with Howard as he is with Allar. That can't necessarily feel good in the grand scheme of things.

"Will Howard has the benefit of the people in the front office now seeing him for the last 14 or 15 months," Fittipaldo said. "So, it's not a great situation for him because Mike McCarthy came in. New coach been on the job for, what, five months; drafted a quarterback in the third round. There's a little window there where Mike McCarthy has been able to evaluate both Will Howard and Drew Allar, but I don't think [Howard] could feel great about it."

Often times when a new staff comes into a building, wholesome changes are made. Currently, Howard seems to have a leg up, but that doesn't mean that McCarthy isn't eyeing Allar to be more of a solution in the future. This is where it could get very interesting. If Allar begins to show the Steelers brass that he is capable, Howard might quickly get pushed off to the side.

There are a lot of variable when it comes to the signal-caller position. The hope is that neither Howard nor Allar will even get a chance to play in 2026 when the regular season rolls around. Rodgers, however, is 42 years old and no one can predict if he will go down with some kind of injury or not. If that were to occur, Howard might get the first crack at things, but Allar could also get the last laugh.

It's going to be hard for McCarthy not to favor Allar, even if it's just a little bit. That's why Howard is potentially feeling like he has no margin for error. At the end of the day, the Steelers' best option should play if Rodgers can't go, regardless of when that individual was drafted.

Steelers Still Might Bring Another Passer Into The Room

Rodgers has stated that 2026 will be his last season. On top of that, if Rudolph manages to stay around, he will be a free agent at the end of the year. This leaves Howard, Allar and likely a third option. That player could very well be a first-round draft pick that changes everything on the depth chart. For now, it's Rodgers' show, but a lot could change over the course of the next 12 months or so.

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