Exclusive: The Steelers' actual plan at quarterback
So Aaron Rodgers will stay in the NFL for another season and, as he told us Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, "This is it."
Yep. That'll be the 22nd season. To go with whatever he happens to add to 264 games, 66,274 passing yards, 527 touchdowns and, of course, a Super Bowl ring and four MVP trophies.
Oh, and a year. Meaning to his life. He's 42 now, and he'll turn 43 in December.
Now, knowing all that, imagine the Steelers embarking upon such a season with two youngsters -- with a combined zero everything experience in the league -- as his sole support. As in, a scenario in which Will Howard and Drew Allar would be QBs 2 and 3.
Ain't happening, my friends.
In covering the latest OTAs session, when I wasn't watching all four quarterbacks work over pretty much two hours straight, I was invested in attempting to find out the team's full plan at the most important position. And based on several talks with people of importance within the team structure, these were the takeaways:
• Mason Rudolph's not going anywhere, barring some absurd collapse or something. He's a veteran, he carries himself beyond reproach, he's beloved by teammates, he's got a terrific relationship with Rodgers on and off the field, and he's under contract.
• Howard's been bumped up to No. 2 for these OTAs, and he'll stay at No. 2 even into the main training camp, but it's entirely so that he can see more reps. That'll allow him to compensate for time lost in his rookie year to the finger injury that cost him the 2025 preseason but, more pivotal, it'll allow management and the coaching staff to see as much of him as possible before making any major decision about his future.
• Allar's own rookie season will be aimed at furthering his development, principally the footwork facets now being preached and re-preached with every drill. Optimally, he'll have the kind of calendar year Howard could've had without the injury.
• All of which would appear to beg the question of what happens at summer's end. To that, I can safely share that it isn't the wish of either Omar Khan or Mike McCarthy to carry four quarterbacks rather than the standard three. A few weeks ago, McCarthy spoke that publicly, saying, "I believe in having three. Potentially we'd love to have four if we can make one work on the practice squad. I've always done it this way." The practice squad wouldn't be an option. Any team could claim either youngster through the necessary waivers.
• With Howard being bumped up to No. 2 for the summer, the pressure's squarely on him to perform, to demonstrate beyond a doubt that he can serve as Rodgers' backup right away. If that were to occur -- and I'll reiterate how unlikely that'd be, given the overall scenario -- then could be the odd man out.
There's been some thought, on the outside, to Rudolph being that odd man out. I've had the thought myself. But that's not what my information's come to be.
Also and maybe relevant, this was McCarthy on Rudolph after this session: "Mason's played a lot of football, and I'll say this about Mason: I'm extremely impressed with him. When you get veteran players, particularly quarterbacks, you can't teach an old dog new tricks ... and that's not the case with him. He's been very receptive towards the footwork training. And boy, he really throws it better than I realized. I think it's like anything in the quarterback world: Until you really stand next to him and you're out there with him, you don't really understand the true velocity of how each one of these guys throws the football. I really like Mason."
Longtime readers will know of my respect for Rudolph, as a player and as a professional. But the football portion, I often feel, gets under-appreciated by everyone, myself included, in our corner of the world: If one counts his relief victory against the Bengals last season -- the entire second half, 117 passing yards, 118.5 rating -- then he's 9-5-1 as a starter for the Steelers. Yeah, even factoring in those three losses in his wild rookie run.
His only loss in 2025 came in Chicago to the Bears, who'd wind up winning the NFL North, and even that was by a 31-28 count.
It's not as if Khan and McCarthy would be making some controversial call by keeping Rudolph, particularly when, for better or worse, they're plainly pointing the overall operation toward winning right now. If they weren't, it wouldn't make sense to bring Rodgers back, and it'd make even less sense to leave Rodgers without a dependable backup.
For his part, following this session, Howard wanted little to do with the subject of his current rank in drills, saying only, "I'm just going in when they tell me to go in."
And when asked about the dynamic of the room now that Allar's been added: "I think Drew's amazing. He's a great kid. I've met him a couple times before. I've got a lot of respect for him. I think it's just to improve the room, to improve the Pittsburgh Steelers as a whole. I'm excited to compete with all the guys we have in the room. It's a fun room. At the end of the day, you know you're competing, know you're trying to make everybody better. But at the same time, we have a good time. We have a bunch of good guys in there."
Don't even get me started on what all this might mean toward the 2027 NFL Draft. More digging for another day, much further down the road.
GREG MACAFEE / DKPS
Mason Rudolph gestures as the rain picks up early in the OTA session Wednesday.
• The session as a whole was fun and informative, although I'll reiterate almost all of my attention was paid to the same four players. For a bunch of reasons, but chiefly that passing sequences dominated the drills, it's wonderful that McCarthy needed only a brief downpour at the outset to move it indoors.
• Even if we reporters could report on what's seen at sessions like these -- that's only allowed for the first few drills -- there wouldn't be much of substance to share. In order, I'll try this: Rodgers can still rocket the thing, Howard looks and throws in a far more authoritative way than last summer, Rudolph's Rudolph, and Allar was hearing a lot less complaining about his footwork.
• And I'd be remiss if I didn't add that Allar throws just an effortless ball. He's not complete, but he's got the raw material.
• A couple questions I had for Rudolph coming off the turf afterward:
• Rodgers' clarity of purpose on the coming season was striking, if only because that's been the opposite of how this stuff's been forever handled by him. I can't imagine how much thought, how much angst must've gone into it. The greatest of the great -- and he'd qualify, for sure -- tend to have a terrible time letting go the games they love.
Much respect to him for taking this approach. Appreciation, too. Because now the football world can respond in kind with every step he takes this fall.
• Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. In all directions. This evidently is the McCarthy way. Right down to the dude barking out orders from an electronic bullhorn at midfield.
• My goodness, I enjoyed observing Mike Pittman, as I'd tell him myself afterward:
He's 6-4, 223, and he stands so upright in his routes that he presents a target that, in all candor, isn't like anything the Steelers have had in some time at wide receiver. On top of that, his hands and arms stay so strong to the football as it arrives.
What a difference he could make.
• Same with Germie Bernard, at least where the hands and arms are concerned. So solid in the way he welcomes the football.
"We've got some guys," DK Metcalf would tell me. "Bunch of 'em."
They really do.
• Enjoyed a brief exchange with Broderick Jones, who's on the field in full uniform and holding a helmet but unable to participate at all because of the ongoing uncertainty over a neck injury. Hate to see this happen to anyone. Good kid. Loves football. Just wants to play.
To his credit, the chin was up.
• Thanks for reading my football coverage. We're proud of what we do on this beat.
THE ASYLUM
Exclusive: The Steelers' actual plan at quarterback
So Aaron Rodgers will stay in the NFL for another season and, as he told us Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, "This is it."
Yep. That'll be the 22nd season. To go with whatever he happens to add to 264 games, 66,274 passing yards, 527 touchdowns and, of course, a Super Bowl ring and four MVP trophies.
Oh, and a year. Meaning to his life. He's 42 now, and he'll turn 43 in December.
Now, knowing all that, imagine the Steelers embarking upon such a season with two youngsters -- with a combined zero everything experience in the league -- as his sole support. As in, a scenario in which Will Howard and Drew Allar would be QBs 2 and 3.
Ain't happening, my friends.
In covering the latest OTAs session, when I wasn't watching all four quarterbacks work over pretty much two hours straight, I was invested in attempting to find out the team's full plan at the most important position. And based on several talks with people of importance within the team structure, these were the takeaways:
• Mason Rudolph's not going anywhere, barring some absurd collapse or something. He's a veteran, he carries himself beyond reproach, he's beloved by teammates, he's got a terrific relationship with Rodgers on and off the field, and he's under contract.
• Howard's been bumped up to No. 2 for these OTAs, and he'll stay at No. 2 even into the main training camp, but it's entirely so that he can see more reps. That'll allow him to compensate for time lost in his rookie year to the finger injury that cost him the 2025 preseason but, more pivotal, it'll allow management and the coaching staff to see as much of him as possible before making any major decision about his future.
• Allar's own rookie season will be aimed at furthering his development, principally the footwork facets now being preached and re-preached with every drill. Optimally, he'll have the kind of calendar year Howard could've had without the injury.
• All of which would appear to beg the question of what happens at summer's end. To that, I can safely share that it isn't the wish of either Omar Khan or Mike McCarthy to carry four quarterbacks rather than the standard three. A few weeks ago, McCarthy spoke that publicly, saying, "I believe in having three. Potentially we'd love to have four if we can make one work on the practice squad. I've always done it this way." The practice squad wouldn't be an option. Any team could claim either youngster through the necessary waivers.
• With Howard being bumped up to No. 2 for the summer, the pressure's squarely on him to perform, to demonstrate beyond a doubt that he can serve as Rodgers' backup right away. If that were to occur -- and I'll reiterate how unlikely that'd be, given the overall scenario -- then could be the odd man out.
There's been some thought, on the outside, to Rudolph being that odd man out. I've had the thought myself. But that's not what my information's come to be.
Also and maybe relevant, this was McCarthy on Rudolph after this session: "Mason's played a lot of football, and I'll say this about Mason: I'm extremely impressed with him. When you get veteran players, particularly quarterbacks, you can't teach an old dog new tricks ... and that's not the case with him. He's been very receptive towards the footwork training. And boy, he really throws it better than I realized. I think it's like anything in the quarterback world: Until you really stand next to him and you're out there with him, you don't really understand the true velocity of how each one of these guys throws the football. I really like Mason."
Longtime readers will know of my respect for Rudolph, as a player and as a professional. But the football portion, I often feel, gets under-appreciated by everyone, myself included, in our corner of the world: If one counts his relief victory against the Bengals last season -- the entire second half, 117 passing yards, 118.5 rating -- then he's 9-5-1 as a starter for the Steelers. Yeah, even factoring in those three losses in his wild rookie run.
His only loss in 2025 came in Chicago to the Bears, who'd wind up winning the NFL North, and even that was by a 31-28 count.
It's not as if Khan and McCarthy would be making some controversial call by keeping Rudolph, particularly when, for better or worse, they're plainly pointing the overall operation toward winning right now. If they weren't, it wouldn't make sense to bring Rodgers back, and it'd make even less sense to leave Rodgers without a dependable backup.
For his part, following this session, Howard wanted little to do with the subject of his current rank in drills, saying only, "I'm just going in when they tell me to go in."
And when asked about the dynamic of the room now that Allar's been added: "I think Drew's amazing. He's a great kid. I've met him a couple times before. I've got a lot of respect for him. I think it's just to improve the room, to improve the Pittsburgh Steelers as a whole. I'm excited to compete with all the guys we have in the room. It's a fun room. At the end of the day, you know you're competing, know you're trying to make everybody better. But at the same time, we have a good time. We have a bunch of good guys in there."
Don't even get me started on what all this might mean toward the 2027 NFL Draft. More digging for another day, much further down the road.
GREG MACAFEE / DKPS
Mason Rudolph gestures as the rain picks up early in the OTA session Wednesday.
• The session as a whole was fun and informative, although I'll reiterate almost all of my attention was paid to the same four players. For a bunch of reasons, but chiefly that passing sequences dominated the drills, it's wonderful that McCarthy needed only a brief downpour at the outset to move it indoors.
• Even if we reporters could report on what's seen at sessions like these -- that's only allowed for the first few drills -- there wouldn't be much of substance to share. In order, I'll try this: Rodgers can still rocket the thing, Howard looks and throws in a far more authoritative way than last summer, Rudolph's Rudolph, and Allar was hearing a lot less complaining about his footwork.
• And I'd be remiss if I didn't add that Allar throws just an effortless ball. He's not complete, but he's got the raw material.
• A couple questions I had for Rudolph coming off the turf afterward:
• Rodgers' clarity of purpose on the coming season was striking, if only because that's been the opposite of how this stuff's been forever handled by him. I can't imagine how much thought, how much angst must've gone into it. The greatest of the great -- and he'd qualify, for sure -- tend to have a terrible time letting go the games they love.
Much respect to him for taking this approach. Appreciation, too. Because now the football world can respond in kind with every step he takes this fall.
• Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. In all directions. This evidently is the McCarthy way. Right down to the dude barking out orders from an electronic bullhorn at midfield.
• My goodness, I enjoyed observing Mike Pittman, as I'd tell him myself afterward:
He's 6-4, 223, and he stands so upright in his routes that he presents a target that, in all candor, isn't like anything the Steelers have had in some time at wide receiver. On top of that, his hands and arms stay so strong to the football as it arrives.
What a difference he could make.
• Same with Germie Bernard, at least where the hands and arms are concerned. So solid in the way he welcomes the football.
"We've got some guys," DK Metcalf would tell me. "Bunch of 'em."
They really do.
• Enjoyed a brief exchange with Broderick Jones, who's on the field in full uniform and holding a helmet but unable to participate at all because of the ongoing uncertainty over a neck injury. Hate to see this happen to anyone. Good kid. Loves football. Just wants to play.
To his credit, the chin was up.
• Thanks for reading my football coverage. We're proud of what we do on this beat.
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