Steelers Locker Room Backs Former 2025 Sixth-Round Pick as Starting QB
After hiring Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, the Steelers are continuing to assemble their coaching staff. They’re evaluating their starting quarterback position for the 2026 season. There’s some speculation about whether or not they’ll re-sign veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If he doesn’t return, the team needs to decide if they’ll draft someone, sign a free agent, or go with someone who’s already on the roster. Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are both on the roster.
The Steelers chose Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Howard won fans over during the offseason. However, he broke his right pinky finger during training camp and was unable to participate in the remainder of training camp or play in any preseason games. Howard spent several weeks of his rookie year on the Reserve/Injured list. He was activated to the roster in November. Since then, the 24-year-old has been the third-string quarterback for almost every game. He was Rudolph’s backup for the one game Rodgers missed in November; however, he didn’t play. The young quarterback hasn’t played any snaps outside of practice since being drafted.
Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network draft analyst, was a guest on The Rich Eisen Show on January 31st. He discussed the Steelers’ quarterback situation. He said, “I don’t think anybody has a clear understanding of what direction they’re going to go there, but I do know, and I said this before Mike McCarthy was hired, but there is some love and support in that building for Will Howard. Not just amongst guys who have been there from a coaching standpoint, but from a player standpoint. There’s a lot of guys on that team that like him.”
During his appearance on Christian Kuntz’s podcast on January 29th, Alex Highsmith talked about McCarthy and his reputation for developing quarterbacks. This led to discussing Will Howard. Highsmith said, “It’ll be cool, too, with Will, how McCarthy develops him as a young quarterback. Especially just excited to see him get some action. Due to him having that injury, I just hated it for him last year, not being able to play any preseason games. We’re all excited to see him and what he can do. It’s just gonna be cool, and I’m excited.”
McCarthy did a one-on-one interview with Rob King, which is on the Steelers’ official website. During the interview, he expressed his enthusiasm about working with the former Buckeyes star. He shared, “I can’t wait to work with Will Howard. It’s important to have a complete understanding of who he is, where he is, and what his starting point is, and the fact he’s going into year two.” He added, “I love getting guys in their first or second year because I feel that’s where, in my experience, you can make the biggest impact.”
In a one-on-one interview with Bob Pompeani on KDKA on January 30th, McCarthy spoke about what he likes about Howard. He explained, “I love the way he plays the game. Definitely flashed during his time at K-State, and just the run that they went on as a team at Ohio State. He obviously played his best at the most important time of the season. Plus, that’s something that you pay attention to, ’cause this is about winning playoff games and winning championships.”
Rodgers mentored Howard throughout the 2025 season. He praised Howard in a recent team-issued transcript. Rodgers remarked, “I’ve made a point of really trying to help Will because I love him. He’s a great kid. I think he’s got a bright future, and it’s one relationship I really wanted to pour into.”
Howard played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He had a stellar 2024 season. He set Ohio State single-season and career completion percentage records. He also set an Ohio State record with eight games with at least an 80% completion. The star quarterback had three 300+ yard passing games. He registered 4,010 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions during the 2024 season. Howard led the Buckeyes to a 34-23 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff National Championship. He received the honor of Offensive MVP of the game. Throughout his collegiate football career, he amassed 9,994 passing yards with 85 passing touchdowns and 1,147 rushing yards with 26 rushing touchdowns.
