The 1 QB Steelers must dump after re-signing Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have some clarity about the quarterback position. Pittsburgh re-signed veteran Aaron Rodgers on May 16th to a one-year contract worth $25 million. As expected, he will immediately step in as the Steelers’ starting quarterback and attempt to lead them back to the postseason.

The Steelers do still have a conundrum at the quarterback position, though. Pittsburgh has four quarterbacks on the roster with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and rookie Drew Allar joining Rodgers in the quarterback room. NFL rules make it pretty easy to roster three quarterbacks during the regular season, but four is a bit of a stretch.

Will Pittsburgh roll with four quarterbacks into the 2026 season? And if not, which quarterback will they cut or trade before the regular season?

One Steelers quarterback seems like the obvious choice as the odd man out in Pittsburgh’s QB room.

Mason Rudolph is the easiest quarterback for the Steelers to let go

Rudolph is the most expendable player in Pittsburgh’s quarterback room. It comes down to financials and the long-term vision of the team.

Realistically, Pittsburgh is in win-now mode with Rodgers at the helm. If he suffers another major injury, Pittsburgh’s season is over. Plugging in a backup like Rudolph wouldn’t be enough to save the season, especially during the playoffs.

That being the case: why invest in an aging backup who will provide little value beyond this season?

Rudolph is on the final year of his current contract and only comes with a $4.62 million cap hit in 2026. That is good news for the Steelers regardless of how they choose to get rid of Rudolph.

If Pittsburgh is forced to cut Rudolph, they can do so with very little financial pain. They cannot say the same with their other two quarterbacks who are on multi-year rookie deals.

The other possibility is working out a trade to send Rudolph somewhere else. That would obviously be the best scenario for Pittsburgh because they would actually get something in return for him. But how likely is that to happen?

Rudolph does not come to mind when thinking of players with excellent trade value. But NFL teams may disagree.

A capable backup quarterback is a big strength in the NFL, especially on contending teams. The Steelers might not be able to get a king’s ransom for Rudolph, but they almost certainly could find a buyer.

It would also be nice to see Pittsburgh do right by Rudolph after his years of service. Sending him to a Super Bowl contender would definitely be the classy thing to do.

Will either Will Howard or Drew Allar be Pittsburgh’s quarterback of the future?

Ultimately, any quarterback on Pittsburgh’s roster in 2026 will not have a guaranteed future with the team.

The 2027 draft class is expected to be truly special. ESPN”s Todd McShay named a whopping nine quarterbacks who could be first-round picks in the draft next spring. Not only does the class have depth, it also has star power with Arch Manning and Dante Moore leading the way.

As such, many NFL teams are probably looking ahead at that future draft class. Especially teams like Pittsburgh who have been stuck in the mud without a franchise quarterback.

Make no mistake, the Steelers will have their eyes on a rookie quarterback next offseason. If they have a pick in the top half of the first round, a quarterback is virtually guaranteed to land in Pittsburgh.

Don’t get the wrong idea, Steelers fans. The message is not that Howard and Allar are worthless quarterbacks who are doomed to be cut. Far from it.

The Steelers know that having a quality backup quarterback is an asset. That’s probably why they’ve kept Rudolph around all these years.

Both Howard and Allar have the potential to become backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Either player could become a starter, but it is more realistic to imagine them as career backups.

This is important in part because it gives Pittsburgh an actual mission with these players in 2026. The Steelers should give both players plenty of snaps during the preseason to see how talented they really are. If the Steelers end up falling out of the AFC playoff picture, then the rest of the season could allow them to experiment with their young quarterbacks.

At this point, there’s really no way to know what the future holds for either quarterback. The best thing Pittsburgh can do is give everyone a chance to prove themselves and see what happens.

The worst-case scenario is Pittsburgh ends up with a premium pick in the draft next spring.

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