The Pittsburgh Steelers made the unique decision to keep four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster for the 2026 season. It was always anticipated that Aaron Rodgers and Drew Allar would be in the locker room. The mystery for a lot of training camp was if the second-year guy in Will Howard could do enough to unseat Mason Rudolph as the top backup. Through two weeks, all four are still around, with the 2025 sixth-round pick serving as the emergency third signal-caller on game days. Once 2027 rolls around, however, the entire room could be completely revamped, and extremely young.
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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 the annual Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe, PA.
It'd be a complete shock if the Steelers were to bench Rodgers. Despite his poor play through two games, he's a respected veteran who is in his final season. Fans may not like the fact that there is no chance of him ever being taken out of the starting role, but it's a likely reality that he won't be. This means the only chance of Rudolph, or Howard, getting an opportunity would be due to a Rodgers injury.
The NFL's early-season slates have not been kind to signal-callers. Players such as Kyler Murray, Jaxson Dart, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams have all suffered, or are suffering, from some kind of ailment. Some are more serious than others. For the New York Giants, Dart is expected to potentially miss the rest of the year. All of these situations remain fluid, but it's only Week 3.
Rudolph becomes an extremely interesting party when thinking about these injuries. He is one of the more reliable backups in the league, which could trigger some general manager out there to at least inquire about his services. This would then give the Steelers more of an opportunity to see what Howard has with him sitting right behind Rodgers.
In Gerry Dulac's fan chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday, he was asked if General Manager Omar Khan may get the option to deal Rudolph if a market was developing for him. The insider doesn't believe so currently; however, it is certainly not out of the question depending on how things develop with some other organizations.
"No. But, as I always say, anything is possible when it comes to desperate NFL GMs," Dulac wrote.
The Steelers' backup wouldn't demand too much in a deal. With that said, he is set to be a free agent come 2027. If someone like the Giants' Joe Schoen decides that Jameis Winston's play isn't good enough, bringing in Rudolph might make sense. Going off of what Dulac noted, desperate general managers are often fearing for their job security. If someone out there believes Pittsburgh's veteran can help, a call will certainly be made.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
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.
While any deal would likely only get the Steelers a sixth-round pick, or something in that area, the possibility of getting extra draft capital might be attractive. The added bonus to this is that if Rodgers were to be injured, Pittsburgh's decision-makers could see Howard in regular-season action for the first time.
If he then were to underperform, the rookie in Allar could possibly be given an opportunity. In a world where there could be no plans to bring Rudolph back in 2027, dealing him prior to the trade deadline would be logical.
Both parties have to be willing to discuss and then complete a trade. Schoen is the most obvious for Khan currently because Dart may be lost for the season. However, Winston will get a chance to prove himself first. He was extended in the offseason specifically for this type of scenario.
Steelers Might Want Rudolph Back For 2027 Season
If Pittsburgh isn't overly impressed with what Howard and Allar have done, signing Rudolph to a new contract come the spring could be on the table. The front office could select a signal-caller in the first round, and allow the former third-round pick to be under center on an interim basis. If that is not the current thought process of the organization, however, it would make a lot of sense to take advantage of a desperate general manager sooner rather than later.
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