The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the teams in the NFL that don't have a super concrete plan at the quarterback position for the future. Aaron Rodgers is obviously the starter once again in 2026, but he has already announced that he will be done playing football once the season comes to a close. The Steelers have been stuck in a sort of purgatory at the position ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, and Rodgers is the first quarterback in that time to start multiple season openers in a row. The franchise needs to find stability at quarterback once he is done, which means finding the future of the position.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers gets ready to throw in Week 1 of the NFL season against the Atlanta Falcons.
It is hard to be considered a legitimate contender in the NFL without a franchise quarterback, and that is something the Steelers have not had in years. There are a couple of young candidates on the team now, with the most promising being rookie quarterback Drew Allar. He performed well in the preseason and he has all of the raw skills that could create a highly-impactful quarterback at the NFL level. Will Howard is also a factor, but he probably has some more work to do.
Despite the potentially promising future for either of these players, neither is backing up Rodgers. Mason Rudolph is still the backup on the roster, which has been the case for the better part of the last decade. Fans wanted to see him out of the picture so Allar or Howard had a clearer path towards being the top backup behind Rodgers, but that didn't happen. Rudolph went on The Christian Kuntz Podcast on Wednesday, and he shared that this might not even be his final season in Pittsburgh.
"We would look at each other from across the locker room and say, 'Hey, still here,'" Rudolph said. "Hey listen, we're going to keep coming back if they want to keep doing business with us."
This was Rudolph speaking with long snapper Christian Kuntz about the time the two of them have spent in Pittsburgh. Rudolph was drafted by the organization in 2018 and he has spent every season of his career in Pittsburgh aside from the 2024 season, while Kuntz has been with the Steelers since the 2020 season.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Drew Allar looks to pass as Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph watch during training camp at Saint Vincent College in 2026.
Rudolph has been maligned throughout his time with the Steelers. He has been a fine backup quarterback, but his time with the franchise has probably run its course. Fans thought with a new coaching staff coming in that Rudolph's time might be up, but he impressed throughout camp and fought to keep his job as the backup. He is in the final year of his current contract, but he said he will be back if the franchise is willing to do business.
That could obviously hurt either Allar or Howard, or both. The fans in Pittsburgh want a franchise quarterback, and by the time the 2027 season comes around it will be time to figure out if either of those players fit that mold. Rudolph returning could get in the way of that.
Steelers Could Still Deal Mason Rudolph
Out of the quarterbacks on the roster that the Steelers would possibly move, Rudolph is the one that would fetch the most in a trade. He has proven that he is a capable backup, and he can win a few games as a starter when put in the right situation. If there is a quarterback-needy team somewhere in the NFL, Rudolph might come to mind as someone to trade for. There are no obvious teams that might be willing to trade for a quarterback as of right now, but injuries could always change that. If he is dealt, that would catapult Howard into the backup role with Allar taking over as the inactive emergency quarterback on game days.
What do you think about Rudolph being open to coming back? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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