PITTSBURGH — Most of the focus at Steelers headquarters at the moment is on finding the franchise's next head coach. Maybe all of it.

But once that's settled and a staff is assembled, there will be a shift to roster building. And, as we all know, every roster starts with the QB at the top.

If the answer is Aaron Rodgers, it's blowing in the wind. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard are under contract. Last year's preseason star, Skylar Thompson, will be a free agent after being inactive all season stemming from a hamstring injury in practice.

Short of rolling with Rudolph and Howard, that means the Steelers will need to make at least one significant addition to their quarterback group for 2026 — possibly even the starter for their first season sans Mike Tomlin since 2006. They've had a different Week 1 starter for five years in a row, and yet it's never been Rudolph.

Here's a look at the three routes the Steelers could go, via free agency, on the trade market or in the draft:

Free agents

Rodgers and Daniel Jones are the only 2025 primary starters who are free to go where they please. But the former is 42 and the latter is likely to return to Indianapolis despite coming off an Achilles tear.

Well, Russell Wilson technically opened the season as the starter for the New York Giants, though that didn't last long, so scratch him. Marcus Mariota started eight games in Washington only because Jayden Daniels dealt with multiple injuries, and he went 2-6, rendering him a non-factor.

Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz and Tyrod Taylor are in the veteran discard bin after starting 10, five and four games, respectively, for Ohio (Bengals and Browns), Minnesota and the New York Jets. Flacco was the most productive of all, and if any Steelers decision-makers have a great sense of humor, he's not an outlandish choice to hit for the AFC North cycle. Jimmy Garoppolo, who just turned 34, has been Matthew Stafford's caddie the past two years in Los Angeles, so if a Rams assistant succeeds Tomlin, that makes him a familiar face.

But the most intriguing option of all is Malik Willis, whom the Steelers scouted extensively going into the 2022 draft, when they landed on Kenny Pickett in the first round. Willis has rehabilitated his image after barely being able to get on the field with Tennessee, his original team. His time in Green Bay has seen him go 2-1 as a starter. All told, in 12 appearances with the Packers, Willis has completed 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. He also has 42 rushes for 261 yards and three touchdowns with three fumbles.

All teams looking to upgrade at quarterback, not just the Steelers, will need to determine if Willis, who turns 27 in May, has had success in a small sample size because of his own natural talent and personal development, or if it's just Matt LaFleur's offense doing most of the work.

Willis made enough big-time throws that he'll likely have no shortage of suitors. Should the Steelers look elsewhere for a younger free agent, Zach Wilson is still only 26. But his Jets stint was a disaster and it's probably not a good sign that Denver and Miami had little use for him the past two years, so he's a long shot to be a viable reclamation project. Same goes for Trey Lance and, if it even needs to be noted, Kenny Pickett. Justin Fields is likely to be cut by the Jets, and he didn't do anything to take advantage of that opportunity this season.

Trade market

Why do teams sign aging quarterbacks to two-year deals? Because you never know what you might get from a desperate franchise in search of a stopgap quarterback.

Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston and Josh Dobbs are 30-somethings with starting experience who are in that mold. Brissett, newly 33, had a sneaky-prolific season with Arizona replacing Kyler Murray, throwing for 240.8 yards per game with 23 touchdowns to eight interceptions but also taking 43 sacks with a 1-11 record. Winston, newly 32, started a couple of games late in the year for the Giants, close back-and-forth losses to Detroit and Green Bay. Dobbs, soon to turn 31, was simply a backup to Drake Maye in New England.

On the more youthful side are Mac Jones and Davis Mills, who combined to go 8-3 as starters for San Francisco and Houston. Perhaps Jones was merely a product of the Kyle Shanahan system as he threw for 195.5 yards per game with 13 touchdowns to six interceptions and completed 69.6% of his passes while going 5-3 in place of Brock Purdy. Mills could be too valuable to the Texans to shop around after going 3-0 while there was an injury to C.J. Stroud, who faltered in their two playoff games.

Those five all have plenty of ups and downs on the back of their trading cards. Some lesser-known commodities would include Philadelphia's Tanner McKee, Chicago No. 2 Tyson Bagent and Dallas backup Joe Milton. Denver's Jarrett Stidham has a chance to put himself on the map as he fills in for Bo Nix in the AFC title game and, they hope, the Super Bowl.

Then, you get into the possibilities who would be the largest of swings. Anthony Richardson with the Colts and Will Levis with the Titans are almost certainly out of time in their cities, but both were highly touted for their physical attributes in the 2023 draft. Geno Smith, while relatively affordable, struggled mightily in the transition to Las Vegas. Kirk Cousins will be 38 before the season begins and likely makes more sense for Atlanta at his salary than anyone else. The contracts are so bloated for the likes of Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa and Deshaun Watson that they're hardly worth mentioning here.

The draft

Unless the Steelers can somehow move heaven and earth — plus all their premium picks with potentially proven players, too — to keep Fernando Mendoza from the Raiders, they'll again be in an unenviable position: selecting outside the teens in a draft that's not particularly deep at quarterback.

Alabama junior Ty Simpson is arguably in a tier of his own between Mendoza and the best of the rest. He's average from a physical standpoint, has just one year of starting experience and faded down the stretch. Mississippi's Trinidad Chambliss only helped his stock toward the end, but he's listed at just 6 feet and would be a 24-year-old rookie — if he's even in this draft as he fights for a sixth year of college eligibility.

From there, it's a slew of lost-their-luster prospects in Penn State's Drew Allar, Clemson's Cade Klubnik and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier. Even a national championship run may not have been enough to salvage the draft outlook for Miami sixth-year senior Carson Beck, who saw his buzz subside with a midseason swoon. Some deep cuts who are more off the radar but participating in college all-star games are Taylen Green (Arkansas), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor) and Cole Payton (North Dakota State).

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