If Aaron Rodgers hadn’t re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Will Howard would have been a popular candidate for their QB1 job. Although some felt a sense of risk in the idea of starting a sixth-round pick with no NFL experience. But the Steelers felt more comfortable with Howard, even back in the 2025 season, according to NFL insider Jason La Canfora.
“The Steelers felt like Howard became comfortable in his own skin last year, and through his practice reps, there was a growing sense that everything was slowing down for him and he was becoming increasingly game-ready,” La Canfora wrote in an article posted Tuesday.
Howard impressed during training camp, but the hype train surrounding him fell off the rails. He injured his hand just before the Steelers’ first exhibition game, missing the entire preseason as a result. He returned to practice later during the regular season. But he still took reps behind Rodgers and backup Mason Rudolph and never took an in-game snap.
It would have helped if Howard had gotten some experience that year, with a new coaching staff coming in this offseason. And that staff did bring in another young quarterback in Drew Allar. They selected him three rounds higher than Howard went off the board.
However, on the surface, McCarthy has had nothing but positive things to say about Will Howard. And that’s not just coach speak, according to La Canfora. He believes McCarthy would have given Howard the chance to prove himself as a starter had Rodgers retired.
“McCarthy was going to throw himself into the task of seeing if Howard could start games for Pittsburgh in 2026,” La Canfora wrote. “As to what McCarthy sees in him: ‘Mike loves him, absolutely loves him,’” said one team official. “He started earning his trust right away; he fits what Mike wants to do. He has ideal size, and the kid is really tough.”
In many ways, Howard fits the mold of an ideal Steelers quarterback. He’s got a big frame, impressive arm talent, and a good amount of athleticism to boot. With Mason Rudolph’s ceiling limited as a starter and Allar needing more development, it’s logical that Howard might have become the Week 1 starter.
With Rodgers in town, that obviously won’t happen. But it’s not a disheartening situation for Howard. He learned plenty behind Rodgers in 2025, and the veteran seems ready to mentor him again in 2026. While he’d prefer to have taken meaningful snaps by the end of his second season, he couldn’t have asked for a better mentor to learn from.
The prospect of drafting a quarterback in 2027 and the presence of Allar make things a little complicated for Will Howard. But it’s clear the Steelers value him, according to La Canfora. And they don’t think he’s too far away from being ready to start.