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PHOENIX — As NFL Draft month arrives, the franchise hosting this year’s draft finds itself in the same place it did a year ago: without a firm answer at quarterback.
Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers joined the Pittsburgh Steelers last June on a one-year contract. The Steelers have yet to sign him, or any new quarterback, for the 2026 NFL season.
Veteran backup Mason Rudolph and 2026 sixth-round draft selection Will Howard are under contract with Steelers.
But people around the league widely believe the Steelers expect, though are not certain, that Rodgers will return.
Team owner Art Rooney II was asked Tuesday whether he expects Rodgers to decide by the draft.
“I would say by the draft, I expect an answer yep,” Rooney said from the league’s annual meeting. “I have not talked to him. Coach [Mike McCarthy] has been in contact with him pretty regularly.
“I think a decision’s probably coming soon.”
Hello from annual meetings, where Mike McCarthy says Steelers conversations with QB Aaron Rodgers on his future are “very positive.”
“We talk regularly... I’m confident, but at the end of the day, it’s a personal decision.” pic.twitter.com/8StEP9Q3Ff
The Steelers indicated similar sentiment a month earlier at the NFL scouting combine. General manager Omar Khan said on Feb. 24 that the Steelers did not want a decision on Rodgers to “drag on” and that the “door was open” for a return. No public movement has developed since, though Rodgers did say March 4 on the Pat McAfee Show that he did not have a contract offer.
A Rodgers-Steelers signing would be a reunion not only between player and franchise but also between player and coach. McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, the duo winning Super Bowl XLV together 15 years ago.
McCarthy said he expects the Steelers’ 2026 offense to more closely resemble what he ran with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-2025 than what he ran with the Packers. But the West Coast principles from his Green Bay days will carry, McCarthy a strong believer in the importance of quarterback footwork precision and tying a quarterback’s footwork with receivers’ route steps.
McCarthy’s system will follow similar principles regardless of who’s at quarterback, though he said he’ll tailor wrinkles to his personnel.
“It’s very important, in my opinion, systematically, if you draft a player that has unique talents and you say he doesn't fit my system, I've always felt that you got to take a look at your system,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “So we got to be able to have room. We got to have a big enough arrow.”
At 41 and 42 years old last season, Rodgers complete 65.7% of his pass attempts for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Steelers finished 10-7, winning the AFC North but then losing to the Houston Texans 30-6 in a wild-card game in which Rodgers completed just 51.5% of pass attempts for no touchdowns and one interception.
Rodgers has not publicly indicated whether he will play in 2026, though many around the league believe that if he plays, it would only be for Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ trade for veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr., signing of running back Rico Dowdle and extension of veteran defensive end Cam Heyward prompted many around the league to speculate that the Steelers are planning for a Rodgers return, if not already privately aware of its looming reality.
After head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down from his 19-year post in January, Rooney said he did not want to rebuild. He wanted to win.
McCarthy declined Tuesday to speculate on Rodgers’ decision-making process.
“I’m not going to really get into timelines,” McCarthy said. “We're in constant communication. Talked to him last night. So I mean, so we're in a good space and we'll just continue to work through it.”
McCarthy praised Howard as a quarterback whom he would’ve taken higher than the sixth round while also acknowledging that like most young quarterbacks, Howard has significant room for growth — particularly with the precision of his footwork.
“He’s definitely a real prospects as a starting quarterback,” McCarthy said of Howard. “You can talk about his throwing motion. You can talk about some things throwing the ball. I think there's a lot of growth with his feet. Like a lot of these guys, the challenge I see in college football is so scheme-heavy and they're running these quarterbacks and their schemes are diverse, there's not a lot of training in the footwork.
“So throwing the ball, and you got the best guy that probably has ever done it in Aaron Rodger – I mean, you look at the way Aaron throws, I mean, just watch his feet. Watch the ground force explosion that comes up through his feet, through his hips, into his throwing motion. And so my point is there's room for development. So I think there's a lot to work over with Will. I'm excited.”
Whether with Howard or Rodgers, McCarthy expressed confidence in the Steelers’ 2026 outlook.
“I’m bringing a winning process to Pittsburgh,” McCarthy said, “and we plan on winning.”
