Steelers Definitely Won't Sign A Veteran Quarterback In 2026: 'No, That's Not Happening'
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an up-and-down 2025 season thus far. At times, the team has looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and other times not so much, especially during their Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. As we arrive at the second half of the season, some questions begin to arise about the team’s plans for the future, specifically at the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers has played well for the majority of the 2025 campaign, but who will be taking snaps for the Steelers in 2026 remains uncertain.
The Steelers’ decision at quarterback could be one of the most significant choices of the Mike Tomlin era. When Pittsburgh signed Rodgers this past offseason, the move was viewed as a short-term solution for a franchise that’s been searching for stability since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. For the most part, Rodgers has delivered. His leadership, accuracy, and experience have provided a spark that’s helped the Steelers stay competitive in the AFC playoff race. Rodgers has hinted at the possibility of retirement in the past, and after a grueling season, the decision may finally come down to how his body feels when the year concludes.
At first glance, adding another experienced signal-caller might seem like a plausible option in 2026. After all, Tomlin has leaned toward veterans before, bringing in Rodgers and previously Russell Wilson. However, not everyone within the Steelers’ circle believes that approach is realistic this time around if Rodgers doesn't come back. During his Wednesday chat for the
"No, that's not happening," Dulac wrote.
That brief but definitive answer seems to shut the door on the idea of another veteran replacement, leaving just a few realistic paths forward. If Rodgers retires, Pittsburgh’s 2026 quarterback could come from within the building or from the upcoming draft. The two in-house candidates would be Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.
Rudolph, who re-signed with the team in the offseason after spending 2024 with the Tennessee Titans, has long served as a reliable backup and spot starter. His familiarity with the organization could make him a steady short-term option if the Steelers choose to avoid a drastic transition. However, at this stage of his career, Rudolph is unlikely to be viewed as a long-term solution.
Howard, on the other hand, represents more of a wild card. The rookie out of Ohio State has yet to take a snap for the black and gold, but his talent along with his success at the collegiate level makes him an interesting prospect. However, reports around the organization believe that the team doesn't look at Howard as the franchise quarterback.
Steelers Could Turn To 2026 NFL Draft For Their Next Quarterback
If neither Rudolph nor Howard is seen as the future, Pittsburgh could turn to the 2026 NFL Draft. At this point, it is unclear to see where the Steelers will be selecting, but the question then becomes will the Steelers have to trade-up in order to grab a talented quarterback. The Steelers have a large selection of draft picks at their disposal, and trading multiple picks to climb up and take a quarterback is definitely on the table.
Drafting a quarterback is one thing, but to throw that quarterback into the fire is another. If the Steelers do indeed draft a quarterback, they will then have to decide if they want that rookie to be under center in Week 1 of the 2026 season, or if they will potentially look to Rudolph or Howard to hold down the fort until that rookie is ready.
Buccaneers’ Offensive Struggles Aren’t Solely On Josh Grizzard
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have now gone three straight games – with a bye week in the middle – with the offense struggling. Baker Mayfield has completed 65% or more of his passes once in that three game stretch compared to missing that mark only twice in the first six games. On top of that, he only has four touchdowns to go along with one interception and has been sacked nine times over that stretch. Yet, somehow, the Bucs are still atop their division and still in the thick of the race for the top seed in the NFC. So why are so many people screaming for offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard to lose his job? Here’s where I think people are being too reactionary and overly dramatic about the current state of the Bucs. Grizz is not doing a bad job. You may not agree with all of his play calls – but that’s going to be any offensive coordinator on any team. Grizz is doing what he can with the hand he’s been dealt and honestly, the hand he’s been dealt is a crappy one.
This wasn’t the offense the Bucs were supposed to have, this wasn’t the plan coming into the season for what the offense was supposed to accomplish. It wasn’t going to be an exact copy and paste from last season, but it was supposed to be similar. Instead, we have an offense that is near the bottom of the league in rushing and outside the top ten in points per game. They’re even trailing the Baltimore Ravens in points per game as if anyone thought that could be possible after Lamar Jackson missed a month. Usually, the blame is going to be at the feet of the coaches, but in this case it shouldn’t be. This is the same guy that was in charge of the Bucs’ third-down offense last year when they converted 50.9%. This year, they’ve converted just 36.5% – which is 24th in the NFL compared to last year’s first. So what’s the difference? Is it the drop off from Liam Coen to Grizz? Is that after three years in a row of having to find new play callers the Bucs didn’t get this one right? Or could it be that last year when Liam Coen and Grizz were dialing things up, they had their offensive line intact? They had Mike Evans for all but three and a half games, they had Bucky Irving in the backfield? They had Baker Mayfield taking off and making plays with his legs? That’s all gone right now.
Baker hasn’t had a rush attempt since the win against San Francisco. The offensive line has been shuffled more times than the deck at a Las Vegas Hold ‘Em table. They have not had more than two of their top four receivers on the field together this year and even then, it’s only happened six times and not for the entire game every time. They have one offensive lineman that has started and finished every game this season and he played three of those out of position. If Matthew Stafford lost Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, and three of his offensive linemen, do you think they would be winning the way that they are? If Jordan Love had his offensive line moved around every game this season, lost Romeo Doubbs, Christian Watson, Josh Jacobs, and Tucker Kraft do you think they would be leading the NFL with 47.8% of third downs converted? For that matter – can you name me
What’s even more telling about Baker Mayfield’s status is the fact that he hasn’t had a rushing attempt in three games. That injury – or those injuries – are worse than what the Bucs and Baker himself are letting on. While he’s not Lamar or Josh Allen, Baker is one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. He’s going to will his team to victory with tough runs to move the chains and extend drives. When that part of his game is non-existent, it changes the way the defense can attack. They can send more pressure knowing that he’s a statue and the offensive line can’t hold up. They can drop more into coverage knowing that Evans, Godwin, Bucky, and McMillan aren’t back there to make a play. Sterling Shepard, with all due respect, isn’t going to win a jump ball in double coverage. Why? Because he isn’t Mike Evans. So when Baker can’t take off and run, the entire offense changes.
So calling for the head of an offensive coordinator who is stuck playing Hold ‘Em without three aces, two kings, and a queen is doing a pretty impressive job. He can’t control the fact that his receivers are out, he can’t control that Bucky is injured. He can’t control that Baker Mayfield, the warrior that he is, is not close to his normal self and can not make the plays that have endeared him to Bucs fans because he’s simply not physically capable. But to call for the head of an offensive coordinator, nine games into his tenure, for not being “good enough” without taking into account the unbelievably bad luck this team has had with injuries isn’t just stupid, it’s ignorant. Dave Canales went through lulls in 2023. Liam Coen wasn’t perfect in 2024. And neither one of them had to deal with what Grizz is going through. So take a breath, take a beat, and see what happens when this team starts to get some of their playmakers back. For more on the Buccaneers from James click here, check him out on the Locked on Bucs Podcast, then make sure you follow him on Twitter.
