Aaron Rodgers' New Deal Could See Mason Rudolph Or Will Howard Cut

In news that was expected but no less divisive among fans, Aaron Rodgers has agreed to return to the Steelers as their starter in 2026. He reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth upwards of $22-25 million based on incentives.

But as the dust settled on the news of Rodgers' return, ESPN's Brooke Pryor pointed out something that could have Steelers fans a little concerned. Rodgers gives the Steelers four quarterbacks under contract right now, and head coach Mike McCarty does not keep four quarterbacks on his active roster.

The question now becomes, who is out between rookie Drew Allar, second-year man Will Howard and veteran Mason Rudolph?

"Who's the odd man out in a four-person QB room? Does there have to be one? Do the Steelers prioritize a veteran with higher floors or youngsters with higher, yet unknown, ceilings? How will they juggle practice reps between a veteran relearning an offensive system and inexperienced signal-callers who are still in development?" Pryor asked.

Allar vs. Howard vs. Rudolph

Given that Rodgers is becoming a little more brittle now that he's in his 40s, Steelers fans are going to want a reliable backup QB in case Rodgers gets hurt or completely falls apart the way some other QBs have. But "reliable" isn't really a word fans would use to describe any of those three QBs right now.

Rudolph is 9-9-1 as a starter and lost his only start for the Steelers last season. He has only six games of over 250 passing yards in 19 career starts. But that still gives him more NFL experience than the other two QBs combined.

Howard was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and started the season on IR. He wasn't activated off IR until November and didn't take a single snap as a rookie.

Allar is a rookie but isn't exactly coming off a year he'd be proud of. After starting the season as a national title contender, his Penn State Nittany Lions fell apart midway through the season and he himself suffered a season ending injury to end his otherwise stellar college career.

Of the three, Allar is the only one who should be considered "safe" due to how much the Steelers invested in him. They made him the No. 76 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is significantly more than what the team put into Howard.

Fans are noticeably divided on which of Rudolph or Howard should be the odd man out. If the team cuts Rudolph, they're left with two backups that have no NFL experience. If the team cuts Howard, their primary backup is a player with mostly negative NFL experience.

Who do you think the Steelers will keep in their QBs room for Week 1?

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM.