Aaron Rodgers is still considered a better quarterback option for the Steelers than inexperienced players Will Howard and Drew Allar. Fans are frustrated with Rodgers' repetitive offseason antics but recognize his superior skills.
Key points
Aaron Rodgers is seen as a better QB than Will Howard and Drew Allar
Steelers fans are frustrated with Rodgers' offseason antics
Concerns exist about the inexperience of recent draft picks
The Aaron Rodgers Offseason Show has grown extremely annoying, especially since Season 2 has turned out to be identical to the first. Every episode, exactly the same. Surely there is something more compelling to occupy our attention.
If that's why Steelers fans have grown weary of his act and are wishing for something different, it is understandable. So long as they don't pretend there's anything logical about employing a less able player at football's most important position. So long as they don't try to maintain moving on to one of the team's two recent draft picks constitutes a sound growth strategy.
The Steelers need Rodgers in 2026, like it or not.
His experience in 2025 helps explain why. Over the course of the regular season, the Steelers ran just short of 1,000 offensive plays on their way to a 10-7 finish and an AFC North championship. During that time, Rodgers made clear — to all of us and all of his coaches — he preferred young wideout be on the field for as few of those as possible.
Q&A
Why is Aaron Rodgers considered a better QB for the Steelers than Will Howard?
Aaron Rodgers is viewed as a more skilled and experienced quarterback compared to Will Howard, who lacks significant playing experience.
What are the concerns about the Steelers' QB options?
Concerns include the inexperience of recent draft picks Will Howard and Drew Allar, leading fans to prefer the proven abilities of Aaron Rodgers.
How have Steelers fans reacted to Aaron Rodgers this offseason?
Steelers fans have expressed frustration with Aaron Rodgers' repetitive offseason show, wishing for a more engaging narrative while still valuing his talent.
What impact could the Steelers' QB decision have on their season?
The choice of quarterback could significantly affect the Steelers' performance, as having a skilled player like Rodgers may enhance their chances of success compared to relying on inexperienced players.
Related Articles
Sports
IPL 2026: Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran involved in heated on-field exchange - Watch
Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran had a heated exchange during IPL 2026 match!
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Sports
Why a pay cut could be the real reason Dani Pedrosa said no to KTM
Dani Pedrosa declines KTM return, possibly due to contract issues.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Sports
Stephen Garcia cancer diagnosis: What to know about former South Carolina QB's battle with Stage 4 colon cancer
Former South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia reveals Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis
This is why such limited veterans as Marquez Valdes-Scantling and eventually Adam Thielen wound up getting most of the available snaps at receiver as the Steelers pursued the AFC North title and a berth in the NFL Playoffs — and why Wilson found himself on the field only 25 percent of the time.
This simple fact helps explain why it matters that Rodgers remains the Steelers' quarterback in 2026.
Rodgers wanted those vets in the game because their knowledge and precision permitted the plays called by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and executed by the quarterback to function as fluidly as possible. The objections Rodgers was willing to share with the public regarding Wilson always involved the quality of his route-running.
If he were out of place as a play developed, everything else about it would be at least a little dysfunctional. And in a league with such a narrow margin between victory and defeat, even a few such occasions can be catastrophic.
Now consider how much more profound the impact is on a football team when the player who is less precise, less able and less knowledgeable is the quarterback.
All of the attention the Steelers paid to improving their offense — hiring head coach Mike McCarthy, trading for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and choosing players on that side of the ball with six of their first seven picks — will be diminished by the presence of an entirely untested Will Howard or Drew Allar at QB.
Neither has played even an NFL exhibition game. Howard was injured in the first week of training camp in 2025. Allar was chosen in the third round of the draft last month.
When the quarterback is just a little out of sorts — and it's likely to be more than a little with a rookie who has zero experience and not enough promise to be chosen on the draft's first day — the impact on the other 10 players is going to be enormous. It's certainly going to matter more than whether a single receiver runs his route as designed.
And yet when my "Friday Football Show" colleague Tim Benz conducted a Twitter poll this week asking respondents who they wanted to start at QB for the Steelers this autumn, 67 percent preferred one of the two. (That breaks down to 39 percent for Howard and 28 percent for Allar.) Only 18 percent voted for Rodgers with Mason Rudolph right behind Rodgers at 15 percent.
The degree of support for Howard has remained astonishing. Curiously, the origin point seems to have been an early endorsement of his potential by Rodgers. That has morphed into a "see-what-you-have" mentality: If it turns out Howard played like a sixth-round pick, well, maybe there'll be a better QB available with the prominent draft selection that accompanies a five-win season.
That approach contradicts everything the Steelers have been about throughout their modern history. They've never purposely tanked a season. They've made mistakes like investing their entire identity in QB Tommy Maddox in 2003, which helped lead to a 6-10 record and the opportunity to draft Ben Roethlisberger after several other teams in line ahead of them goofed.
They don't plan to fail, though — the best organizations never do.
One would think their most ardent fans would recognize this by now, that going more than two decades without a single losing season is an amazing accomplishment. Some do. But it might be fewer than 20 percent of them, if Benz's poll truly reflects the wishes of Steeler Nation.
It was reported by multiple outlets Thursday that Rodgers will show up in Pittsburgh at some point this week to sign a contract for the 2026 season. And that news was questioned by another reporter. So we don't know for certain when the Rodgers drama will end.
We know how it must end, if it is to end well for the Steelers.
