Gerry Dulac: Is the Steelers' belief in young QB Will Howard real or just pre-draft posturing?

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb 26, 2026

Published in Football

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INDIANAPOLIS — Two things are true of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they continue to strip away the layers of their confounding quarterback position.

They still don’t know if Aaron Rodgers intends to return for another season, though they believe he is not signing somewhere else if he does come back.

And they believe Will Howard, despite never having played a game in a Steelers uniform, is a viable option to be their quarterback in 2026.

Question is, is that belief real or whimsically imagined?

Since his introductory press conference as Steelers coach, Mike McCarthy has talked about how much he likes Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick who was injured in training camp and never did anything more than serve as a scout-team quarterback for the second half of last season.

“I’m really excited about Will Howard,” McCarthy said at the time. “I think he’s someone that really came on at Ohio State. I’m anxious to work with him.”

General manager Omar Khan continued the mantra at the NFL combine, saying he and McCarthy have been watching Howard’s practice tape from last season and they are excited to work with him.

“We didn’t have the ability to watch him in games, which would have been good,” Khan said. “He got hurt in the preseason. But, you know, we watched all the practice tape and seen the progression and some exciting stuff to see.”

What did they see?

“One thing is the speed of the game, the anticipation that just kind of comes with playing at this level.” Khan said. “It’s different than it is at the college level, but we saw that improve every week and there’s a lot to like.”

When asked what is most important when evaluating the quarterbacks in this year’s draft, Khan said, “You can’t hide from production. When a guy produces, that’s certainly [important]. And if he’s done it at a high level or at a big school, and winning is important. You can’t deny any of that.”

Told he just described Will Howard, who won a national championship at Ohio State and played his best in the four-game playoff run, Khan quickly replied, “I like Will a lot.”

If it is starting to seem like much hyperbole about a sixth-round pick who has never played an NFL game, well, it certainly could qualify as such.

Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if what they profess to believe is rooted in hope or some measure of actual realism.

Do they really believe Howard is the next “10-to-15-year guy” they are trying to discover? Or will they use their abundance of draft picks to make a move for a quarterback in April’s draft in Pittsburgh?

Meanwhile, Rodgers remains a viable option.

He is an unrestricted free agent, which means he is free to sign with any team if he decides to come back for a 22nd season. While there is some national speculation he could be courted by the Minnesota Vikings, who showed interest in him last year, the Steelers believe Rodgers is only interested in returning to them — or not at all.

And, just like last year, money will not be an issue.

Among all NFL players, only Matthew Stafford ($408 million) has earned more career money than Rodgers ($395.8 million), according to Over the Cap. That probably explains why he played last season for $13.6 million with $10 million guaranteed.

Rodgers could have earned as much as $19.6 million with incentives, but the deal was beyond team-friendly for a four-time league MVP.

“We have to find the right quarterback that’s going to be an AFC North quarterback,” Khan said. “Playing in the AFC North, there’s nothing like it — the cold weather, the rivalries, the division, the physicality of the division. So it’s got to be an AFC North quarterback.”

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