The Steelers have four quarterbacks on the roster, two that were drafted just in the last two years, but they still might be searching for one next offseason.

Aaron Rodgers is set to start in 2026, with Mason Rudolph serving as the veteran backup. Behind them are Will Howard, a second-year developmental quarterback, and Drew Allar, the rookie third-round pick Pittsburgh believes has first-round talent.

On paper, that looks like a crowded and promising quarterback room. In reality, it's more like a collection of possibilities than a clear plan for the future.

Rodgers has already said 2026 will be his last season, and Rudolph’s contract expires after this year too. That leaves Howard and Allar as the only quarterbacks currently under contract for 2027, and neither has taken a regular-season snap.

So the Steelers have plenty of options. What they don't have yet is an answer.

And with Rodgers on his way out the door, figuring out whether that answer is already on the roster will be one of the biggest questions Pittsburgh has to answer over the next year.

Four Quarterbacks Can Still Leave One Big Question

Rodgers gives Pittsburgh exactly what they wanted for now.

He led the Steelers to the AFC North title in 2025, throwing for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His ugly playoff performance against Houston made it pretty clear that he’s not the same quarterback who won four MVP awards. Still, he was steady enough to give Pittsburgh something they'd been chasing since Ben Roethlisberger retired: stability.

The Steelers have started Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Rodgers since Roethlisberger’s final season. They tried drafting a first-round replacement, brought in veteran stopgaps, and are now squeezing one more run out of a future Hall of Famer.

Rodgers finally stopped the revolving door for a little while. He also made it clear that door is going to start spinning again in 2027.

Rudolph gives Pittsburgh some insurance if the 42-year-old starter misses time, and Mike McCarthy clearly trusts him. Rudolph completed 10 of 11 passes for 93 yards in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener before McCarthy decided he’d seen enough and sat him against the New York Jets.

That’s great for the 2026 Steelers. It doesn’t make Rudolph the likely starter in 2027.

Rudolph will be 32 next offseason. He’s been in Pittsburgh long enough for everyone to know what he is: a capable backup who can keep an offense on track and occasionally play above that label. His late three-game run in 2023 helped save Pittsburgh’s season, but eight years after drafting him, the Steelers have never treated him like the long-term answer.

That brings us to Howard and Allar, two quarterbacks with interesting tools and no NFL experience.

Howard finally made his preseason debut after a fractured pinky wiped out his first summer and kept him from playing as a rookie. He looked comfortable against Green Bay, completing seven of nine passes for 86 yards and leading an 80-yard touchdown drive in the two-minute offense.

Allar was even better. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards, threw two touchdowns, and ran for another in his first NFL action.

McCarthy's been unusually open about how Pittsburgh views Allar. The Steelers took him 76th overall, but McCarthy said they believed they were getting a first-round talent based largely on the player Allar had been before an ankle injury ended his final season at Penn State.

After one night against Green Bay, you could see what he was talking about.

Then the Jets showed up.

Howard threw two interceptions. Allar completed less than half of his passes. The Steelers took four sacks and couldn't score on 11 possessions. They eventually lost 17-0.

That doesn’t mean either young quarterback failed some final exam. It does mean the first game didn’t answer much.

There are real issues for both quarterbacks to clean up. They’re also exactly the kinds of things Pittsburgh needs to evaluate before deciding whether either player deserves a shot at starting in 2027.

The Crowded Room Creates A Development Problem

McCarthy has done just about everything he can to get Will Howard and Drew Allar meaningful work this summer.

The Steelers have used multiple practice fields to run the same offensive script at the same time. Rodgers and Rudolph work on one field while Howard and Allar run the same plays on another. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said the setup basically lets Pittsburgh double their reps.

It’s a smart idea. It also won’t last forever.

Once the regular season starts, practice becomes much more about getting Rodgers ready for that week’s opponent. Rudolph still needs enough work to stay prepared as the backup, and the scout team has to give Pittsburgh’s defense a good look at the offense they'll see on Sunday.

Howard and Allar can keep studying film and taking mental reps. McCarthy’s quarterback school should help, too, especially since he’s been so involved with both players’ mechanics.

But actual game reps are going to get a lot harder to find.

That makes the last preseason game against Buffalo more important than a typical August finale. It could be one of Pittsburgh’s last real chances to give Howard and Allar extended work before they spend the regular season buried behind Rodgers and Rudolph.

Then comes the roster decision.

Keeping four quarterbacks is possible. It’s also pretty rare. Between 2013 and 2024, only five teams had opened a season with four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

The problem is that a fourth quarterback can’t cover kicks or help on returns. He’ll probably be inactive on game day while taking up a roster spot that could go to a defensive back who helps out on special teams.

Still, Pittsburgh has some pretty good reasons to keep all four.

Allar isn’t going anywhere. The Steelers just spent a top-80 pick on him, and putting him on waivers would make no sense.

Rudolph is the safest option if Rodgers gets hurt. Cutting him would save money and solve the roster crunch, but it would also leave a team with playoff expectations relying on two backups who haven’t thrown a regular-season pass.

Howard's the most vulnerable. He was a sixth-round pick, so the Steelers have a lot less invested in him. But all reports coming out of that building have pointed towards decision makers loving the reps he gets.

He’s also young, cheap, and intriguing enough that Pittsburgh could lose him by trying to sneak him onto the practice squad. Howard would have to clear waivers first, and even if he did, he could decide to try and get into a less crowded quarterback room.

Pittsburgh Still Has To Pick A Lane

Howard and Allar don’t have to prove they’re franchise quarterbacks before September.

They do need to give McCarthy enough to work with though. He has to figure out which one gives Pittsburgh the best chance to take over after Rodgers.

Howard needs to show that his command, timing, and experience can make up for the gap in arm talent. After throwing two interceptions against the Jets, his response against Buffalo will be watched closely. Can he protect the football? Can he finish the drives he helps create? Those are the kinds of details that’ll shape how the Steelers view him.

Allar, meanwhile, has to show that his performance against Green Bay wasn’t just one good night against backups. Nobody’s questioning his arm. The bigger questions are his footwork, how he handles pressure, and whether he’ll take the easy completion instead of always hunting for the big play.

If one of them starts to pull away, Pittsburgh can spend the season developing that quarterback with a clear purpose. The other could stick around as depth or even become trade bait if another team loses a quarterback.

If neither one separates, though, the Steelers will head into 2027 with the same problem they have now: plenty of options, but no real answer.

The upcoming draft class is expected to have much more quarterback talent than the 2026 group, with Arch Manning and Dante Moore already getting attention as potential early picks. But Pittsburgh might not have a shot at one of those top guys. If Rodgers leads another playoff run, the Steelers won’t be picking anywhere close to the quarterbacks they want.

That’s how a team ends up replacing Roethlisberger with five years of temporary answers.

The Steelers should be encouraged by what Howard and Allar have shown. Howard came back from losing his entire rookie season and looked comfortable running McCarthy’s offense. Allar has already flashed the physical upside that once made him look like a future first-round pick.

There’s a real chance Pittsburgh already has its 2027 starter.

There’s also a real chance the Steelers carry four quarterbacks all season, give almost every meaningful snap to Rodgers and Rudolph, and get to March without knowing whether either young player is ready.

Collecting options was the easy part.

Now Pittsburgh has to turn one of them into an actual plan.

All stats courtesy of NFL Pro.

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