The Pittsburgh Steelers possess one of the most interesting quarterback situations in the NFL, but it has nothing to do with a starting controversy. Aaron Rodgers will be under center at 42 years of age, and he has three fascinating options behind him. Mason Rudolph is the veteran backup who is well-respected, Will Howard remains someone who has an incredible amount of hype surrounding him, and Drew Allar sits in the back as the rookie with a lot to learn. There is a possibility of the organization keeping all four on the 53-man roster, which would be relatively unprecedented.
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Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph drops back and gets ready to unleash a pass as the team goes through a workout during a 2026 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
It depends on who you ask when it comes to the Rudolph versus Howard debate. Some believe that the longtime second-string quarterback should stay around because he would give the Steelers the best chance to win if Rodgers were to go down with an injury. Others may argue that the season would be over anyway if the four-time MVP missed significant time, so it would make complete sense to evaluate Howard in that scenario.
Allar created even more discussion after playing very well in his first preseason action. Overall, Pittsburgh is dealing with a good problem to have, but the decision-makers are running out of time to decide the fate of the depth chart. Meaningful football is around the corner, so there will be some key conversations happening behind closed doors in the near future.
On Wednesday, Mike McCarthy spoke to the media and noted that Howard would start Friday's exhibition contest against the New York Jets. Allar will head into the game after, which will leave both Rodgers and Rudolph on the sideline. The Steelers' head coach mentioned that he has seen everything he needs to from Rudolph after his efficient performance versus the Green Bay Packers.
However, there could be more going on than some fans realize. Rudolph showed the rest of the league how capable he is, completing 10 of 11 passes for 93 yards. An injury could ruin any potential trade value he may have, so could it be possible that Pittsburgh is sitting him down to shop him on the market? When asked about this and McCarthy's recent comments during his fan chat on Wednesday, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo bought into that theory.
"People will certainly read into [McCarthy's] comments and the fact that he's not playing. And they might not be wrong," Fittipaldo wrote.
That wasn't the only time it came up, either. Someone else chimed in and asked if the recently announced quarterback plan for the Jets game meant that Rudolph is being used as trade bait.
"I think you might be on the right track," Fittipaldo noted.
The Steelers also know what they have in Rudolph. He is an experienced backup who has started games in the past. Either way, him not getting any Friday preseason action is an opportunity for Howard to jump him on the depth chart regardless of whether a trade occurs or not.
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Steelers quarterback Will Howard gets ready to unleash a pass as he runs through a drill as the team works out during a 2026 training camp practice in Latrobe, PA.
Fittipaldo dove a little deeper when it came to Howard. He could be getting more reps and starting over Rudolph so that he can prove he has what it takes to be slotted behind Rodgers.
"I think they want to find out if Howard can be the backup. If they come to that conclusion, there is no reason to keep Rudolph."
There are a lot of possible outcomes for the Steelers' quarterback room. Rudolph could be traded, but the team could also elect to keep all four around. McCarthy's words on Wednesday should start to get people thinking, though. As the reporter noted, some may start to connect the dots and they might not be wrong. Pittsburgh could absolutely be sending a message that Rudolph is available.
Steelers Could Likely Get Sixth-Round Pick For Rudolph
Pittsburgh will take any draft capital that it can get for 2027. Even though Rudolph wouldn't be dealt for anything crazy, he holds some value and some franchises could be willing to pay up. This will continue to be a week-by-week situation that is developing; however, the Steelers are not going to be afraid to ship Rudolph somewhere else, especially if Howard continues to perform at a relatively high level.
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