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Ranking The Steelers' 2027 QB Options After Aaron Rodgers's Retirement Announcement

By Mike Kadlick Sports Illustrated

Updated May 21, 2026 3:11 AM

The 2026 season is going to be it for Aaron Rodgers-for now, anyway.

In his first media availability since deciding to re-sign with the Steelers on a one-year deal, the 42-year-old announced that this coming campaign will be his last, and that he will retire at the end of the year.

Rodgers, for his part, said last summer that he was "pretty sure" 2025 would be his final season. But after Pittsburgh decided to part ways with Mike Tomlin and hire Mike McCarthy-the quarterback's head coach and play-caller for 13 seasons in Green Bay-he's decided to give it another go, looking to lead the Steelers to an AFC North title for a second consecutive season.

RELATED: What Steelers QB Depth Chart Looked Like at First OTA Practice

Rodgers's decision-making over the past several days has worked out twofold for Pittsburgh. For starters, the team's outlook for 2026 is immediately brightened after bringing in a four-time NFL MVP to run their offense. Second-and perhaps most importantly-they now have some clarity for the future, and can begin to map out who could be under center for them in 2027.

With that, here are a handful of quarterback options for the Steelers next season-ranked.

5. Will Howard

The Steelers selected Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

After helping Ohio State to a win over Notre Dame in the national championship to close out the 2024 season, Will Howard was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of the '25 draft. The 6'4", 235-pound signal-caller ended up fracturing his hand during training camp and was placed on injured reserve to begin the year-but was activated in mid-November and spent the rest of the season on the active roster.

It's worth noting that at Pittsburgh's first OTA practice of the spring, Howard took the offense's QB2 reps behind Rodgers and ahead of Mason Rudolph and Drew Allar. Maybe McCarthy & Co. see something in the former Buckeye that they want to mold for the future.

4. Trey Lance … or any former Mike McCarthy quarterback

Trey Lance played under Mike McCarthy with the Cowboys for two seasons. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

If the Steelers want to look for a veteran outside of the organization to fill the void under center in 2027, then look no further than a trio of former Mike McCarthy quarterbacks-headlined by former first-round pick Trey Lance.

Lance re-signed with the Chargers this offseason on a one-year deal and is once again set to hit free agency next March. After being selected with the No. 3 pick in the first round by the 49ers in 2021, the dual-threat was traded to the Cowboys after just two seasons and worked under McCarthy-then Dallas's head coach-in 2023 and '24. Though widely considered to be one of the bigger first-round draft busts of the last decade, Lance has enough raw talent to at least warrant a chance to compete in a system he already knows. In fact, McCarthy said as recently as last season that Lance will "be ready to be a starter in this league."

Other veteran signal callers who have experience in McCarthy's offense include Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci-both of whom started games for Dallas between 2020 and '24.

3. Brendan Sorsby

Brendan Sorsby could enter the NFL's supplemental draft this summer. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Given the aforementioned clarity that the Steelers now have regarding Rodgers's future, perhaps they take the ultimate swing at quarterback in the supplemental draft this summer-should the league ultimately hold one for Brendan Sorsby.

Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech this past winter but is currently under investigation by the NCAA for reportedly making "thousands of online bets" on various sports, in turn putting his remaining eligibility in jeopardy. The 22-year-old has since entered residential rehab for a gambling addiction, and hired lawyer Jeffrey Kessler to represent him.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Sorsby and his camp hired Kessler to try to help speed up the NCAA's review of the injunction he filed this week in Lubbock County so the quarterback can then "make an informed decision about entering the supplemental draft," which he has to apply for by June 22.

Should a supplemental draft take place, teams would then bid on Sorsby-and any other players in the pool-by submitting the round they'd be willing to select him. The highest bidder is then awarded the player in exchange for the corresponding pick in the 2027 draft. ESPN's Adam Schefter recently predicted on his podcast that Sorsby could command as high as a second-round pick.

Sorsby stands at 6'3", 235 pounds. He started 24 games for the Bearcats over the past two seasons, throwing 45 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions while also finding the end zone 18 times on the ground. He's an intriguing prospect, to say the least, and with Rodgers now out of the picture in 2027, he could be worth a shot for a Pittsburgh team looking for a quarterback of the future.

2. Drew Allar

Drew Allar was selected by the Steelers in the third-round of the 2026 draft. | Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images Lauren Leigh Bacho Getty Images

Speaking of potential long-term answers at quarterback, the Steelers drafted Drew Allar for a reason. After seemingly hitting it off with McCarthy at the NFL combine, the former Penn State signal-caller was selected by Pittsburgh with their first of two third-round picks (No. 76) this past April. Allar already made a strong impression during rookie minicamp, and is now set to develop behind one of the best quarterbacks in league history.

The Steelers are starting anew with Allar, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor, who reported that they've "essentially uninstalled his old hardware and began rebuilding his fundamentals from the ground up." Sure, that may sound like a red flag, but it also means they're committed to seeing the former five-star recruit through.

Allar completed 63.2% of his passes for 7,402 yards over four seasons with the Nittany Lions, throwing 61 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions. In 2024, he led the program to a 13–3 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

1. 2027 first-round draft pick

Arch Manning is expected to be a first-round pick next April. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The 2027 draft class is set to be a loaded one-and could ultimately be the Steelers' best option for a franchise quarterback moving forward.

While Pittsburgh is firmly in win-now mode this season and likely won't find themselves inside the top 10 of next year's draft-taking them out of the Arch Manning or Dante Moore sweepstakes-there should still be plenty of options available in what many consider to be one of the deepest quarterback classes in recent memory.

Names to keep an eye on in the mid-to-late first-round range include Notre Dame's CJ Carr, Ohio State's Julian Sayin and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, with potential sleepers Minnesota's Drake Lindsey and Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker also firmly in the mix.

Projecting out a quarterback this far in advance is risky business (case in point, Fernando Mendoza last season), but if the draft analysts prove to be correct, the Steelers should have options to consider as they look to replace Rodgers next offseason.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking The Steelers' 2027 QB Options After Aaron Rodgers's Retirement Announcement.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 3:00 AM.