Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk is signing with the Minnesota Vikings , per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. He joins former Steelers teammate James Pierre , who also signed with Minnesota this offseason. Loudermilk was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. In four seasons with the Steelers, he totaled 63 tackles in 58 games. The Steelers added to their defensive line depth this offseason by signing former Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day . Additionally, they drafted Gabriel Rubio out of Notre Dame in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Former Steelers OC Todd Haley weighs in on Will Howard, Mason Rudolph QB battle Mike McCarthy reveals reason for Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick position changes Aaron Rodgers to retire after 2026 season Aaron Rodgers embracing mentorship role with Drew Allar, Will Howard NFL insider predicts Steelers will cut Will Howard
As veteran QB Aaron Rodgers announces his final season, the Steelers, under new coach Mike McCarthy, are evaluating their quarterback options for 2027. They currently have established backup Mason Rudolph, developmental options Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar, but may explore other solutions
The Steelers currently have four quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy hopes they still have four quarterbacks when the regular season starts. McCarthy said today that he’d like to see Steelers General Manager Omar Khan find a way to keep all of them into the regular season: Rodgers to start, Rudolph to back him up, and both Howard and Allar as developmental prospects. “We’ve definitely got four that we love, I can say that,” McCarthy said. “You always have to develop the room. That’s always been the approach. We’re hoping that Omar can get the roster expanded to 55 and we can keep four. It’s a really good room. This is a good place to be, having four guys that can play.” McCarthy said the rotation behind Rodgers right now is based on the experience of the three backup quarterbacks but that he wants to give all of them plenty of opportunities this offseason while giving Rodgers the right amount of work to keep him fresh and have him ready to start Week One. “Mason has a lot of experience,” McCarthy said. “We’re trying to develop Will and Drew as well as we can. Will is ahead of Drew, just based on the fact that he’s been here.” The most likely scenario is that Howard and Allar will compete for a spot on the 53-man roster, and that the Steelers hope the loser of that competition clears waivers and can be brought back to the practice squad. But McCarthy isn’t ruling out all four of them making the regular-season roster
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy expressed a desire to keep all four quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar) on the regular-season roster, citing their collective talent and potential for development. While acknowledging the likelihood of Howard and Allar competing for a 53-man spot with a plan for the loser to potentially join the practice squad, McCarthy indicated that keeping all four is a possibility
The Pittsburgh Steelers came to terms with Aaron Rodgers on a one-year, $22 million deal earlier this week. Leading up to the agreement, NFL fans were unsure whether Rodgers would return or retire. However, he has made it known that this will be the last year of his storied career. “This is it,” Rodgers told the media on Wednesday . After coming to Pittsburgh to play for Mike Tomlin a season ago, Rodgers will end his career in a full-circle manner, now getting to play for former head coach Mike McCarthy one last time. Together in Green Bay , McCarthy helped Rodgers develop into the player he is today, leading the Packers to a Super Bowl title along the way. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Aaron Rodgers embracing mentorship role with Drew Allar, Will Howard NFL insider predicts Steelers will cut Will Howard Michael Pittman Jr recruiting JuJu Smith-Schuster back to Steelers Steelers to try OT Max Iheanachor at multiple positions Antonio Brown goes off on JuJu Smith-Schuster in social media rant
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, entering his 22nd season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is embracing a mentorship role with younger QBs Drew Allar and Will Howard as he prepares for his final campaign
Aaron Rodgers' decision to sign with the Steelers was kept quiet until after the 2026 schedule was finalized, potentially allowing the team to secure more favorable game placements. This speculation arises from past NFL practices where schedule adjustments were made based on player availability and team expectations. The Steelers may have benefited from Rodgers' late commitment, as the timing could have influenced their prime-time game allocations
The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have four quarterbacks on their roster, which will almost certainly change ahead of Week 1 of the 2026 season. It’s incredibly rare for a team to carry four quarterbacks, which means Pittsburgh will have a decision to make – and one NFL insider believes it will be a decision that shocks a lot of fans. While Mike McCarthy has raved about Will Howard since being hired in January, Mike Florio of NBC Sports believes Howard will be the one on the outside looking in. “I think Will Howard’s going to be the odd man out, unless someone gets injured,” Florio said. Florio adds that Rudolph has the advantage due to being a veteran where Howard, and Drew Allar for that matter, have never played an NFL snap. “The thing that helps Mason Rudolph is, if Aaron Rodgers gets injured, who do you want to step in and play right away?” Florio said. Rudolph signed a two-year deal with the Steelers ahead of last season, marking his second stint with the franchise after a one-year stint with the Tennessee Titans . Would you like to see Juju Smith-Schuster back in a Steelers uniform? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments below! Michael Pittman Jr recruiting JuJu Smith-Schuster back to Steelers Steelers to try OT Max Iheanachor at multiple positions Antonio Brown goes off on JuJu Smith-Schuster in social media rant Germie Bernard already impressing Steelers coaches at OTAs Steelers OT Troy Fautanu makes feelings clear on potential position change
The moment the Steelers selected Penn State’s Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL Draft, it became inevitable: We were in for an offseason of quarterback discourse. A few weeks later, Pittsburgh made the long-awaited signing of Aaron Rodgers , leaving the team with four roster-able quarterbacks in the league that tends to only keep three after cutdown day. How do you see it playing out? There’s still a lot of the offseason to play out, but here are my initial thoughts: Rodgers and Allar ( despite what Chris Simms might think ) are the two locks to make the final roster as the starter and a recent top-100 pick, respectively. The battle largely comes down to Will Howard, a 2025 sixth-rounder who couldn’t even make a preseason appearance last year due to injury, and Mason Rudolph , a journeyman backup who has gone 1-5 in his last two seasons of starts. Rudolph is the proven commodity, with 1,484 NFL offensive snaps under his belt at this point. He even helped push the Steelers to a playoff berth with a 3-0 record as a starter at the end of the 2023 season. But against the Bears in 2025, all his limitations — pocket awareness, deep accuracy, processing speed — were on display in a 171-yard, one touchdown, one interception performance. It remains to be seen how Howard’s game translates to the NFL level. He profiled as a plus game manager at Ohio State who could hopefully be an above-average QB2/spot starter in the pros. Long term, it’s reasonable to hope he can be a Rudolph replacement of sorts. Yes, Howard was just a sixth-round pick, but he was widely seen as more of a mid-round talent who slipped down NFL boards due to the segmented value of quarterbacks in the draft. And while it certainly doesn’t mean much, Howard leapfrogged Rudolph on the Steelers’ depth chart to open OTAs on Monday. It’s not worth reading into, but it is more of a vote of confidence in the second-year passer than the alternative. Ultimately, I see the Steelers’ 53-man roster quarterback room being Rodgers/Howard/Allar to open the 2026 season. Howard is younger, cheaper, and possibly has a bit more upside than Rudolph at this point in their respective careers, and the Ohio State product still seems to come with the steady floor that marks a good backup. With a veteran quarterback already in the room in Rodgers, as well as a quarterback-focused head coach in Mike McCarthy, Rudolph’s experience isn’t quite as valuable to the room as it may seem at face value, and he could even provide some trade value. While I expect Pittsburgh to only keep three quarterbacks on the roster during the regular season, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team initially keeps four after cutdown day as it tries to work out a trade. But even if Rudolph does outplay Howard or Allar in the preseason, what is his value as a player for the Steelers in 2026? If Rodgers goes down with an injury, the team knows the season — which already has slim odds at a playoff run — becomes more about the future than the present. If Allar still isn’t ready in that scenario, the team might as well see what it has in Howard, a sixth-rounder who might not get many NFL starting opportunities otherwise. There’s just not much of a reason to give Rudolph starting reps in 2026. There’s also some precedent for the team dropping Rudolph. While it wasn’t under Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh decided to keep rookie third-rounder Mason Rudolph and second-year fourth-rounder Joshua Dobbs over longtime backup Landry Jones ahead of the 2018 NFL season. Why? The Steelers already had a veteran starter in Ben Roethlisberger , and Rudolph/Dobbs offered a better mix of potential, recent investment, and football IQ. We might see a similar story play out ahead of the 2026 NFL season. How do you think the Steelers quarterback situation turns out this offseason? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
With Aaron Rodgers officially on the roster, the Steelers currently have four quarterbacks. Veteran Mason Rudolph , second-year QB Will Howard , and rookie Drew Allar fill out the rest of the room. Rodgers’ presence means there are now fewer reps to go around for the younger players, Howard and Allar. But offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio told reporters on Tuesday that is not an issue. “ You can never have enough quarterbacks ,” Angelichio said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . “With the system that's in place here, it's great that we have four quarterbacks. We have a plan on how all those guys are going to get reps.” Angelichio is familiar with Rodgers from their shared time with the Packers, as Angelichio served as Green Bay ’s tight ends coach from 2016-2018. With Rodgers potentially going into the final season of his career, Angelichio praised the QB for his willingness to help out his teammates. “ Aaron’s such a great mentor ... His feedback and the information he provides, you can't beat that,” Angelichio said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “He is very willing to help the players … I think that certainly is a big plus for us.” With Rodgers set for at least one more ride with the Steelers in 2026, we likely won’t see the effects of his mentorship on the crop of younger QBs until a while down the road
With Aaron Rodgers officially on the roster, the Steelers currently have four quarterbacks. Veteran Mason Rudolph, second-year QB Will Howard, and rookie Drew Allar fill out the rest of the room. Rodgers’ presence means there are now fewer reps to go around for the younger players, Howard and Allar. But offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio told reporters on Tuesday that is not an issue. “ You can never have enough quarterbacks ,” Angelichio said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . “With the system that’s in place here, it’s great that we have four quarterbacks. We have a plan on how all those guys are going to get reps.” Angelichio is familiar with Rodgers from their shared time with the Packers, as Angelichio served as Green Bay’s tight ends coach from 2016-2018. With Rodgers potentially going into the final season of his career, Angelichio praised the QB for his willingness to help out his teammates. “ Aaron’s such a great mentor ... His feedback and the information he provides, you can’t beat that,” Angelichio said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “He is very willing to help the players … I think that certainly is a big plus for us.” With Rodgers set for at least one more ride with the Steelers in 2026, we likely won’t see the effects of his mentorship on the crop of younger QBs until a while down the road
The Steelers have signed rookies Germie Bernard and Eli Heidenreich to their first NFL contracts, the team announced Monday. Pittsburgh traded up to select Bernard, an Alabama wide receiver, in the second round in 2026. Heidenreich, who was added to the Steelers’ roster as a running back/wide receiver, was a versatile slotback in the Navy offense. Bernard has already been drawing good reviews from Steelers players in the team’s first day of OTAs Monday. Contract details have not yet been released for either player, but the question will be how much of Bernard’s contract — or all of it — is guaranteed. The Falcons’ Avieon Terrell, who was selected one pick after Bernard in the second round, agreed to a fully-guaranteed deal earlier in May. Like all drafted rookies, Bernard and Heidenreich signed four-year contracts. The only Steelers rookie to remained unsigned is Penn State quarterback Drew Allar , one of Pittsburgh’s third-round picks in 2026
With quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh , the Steelers now have four quarterbacks on the offseason roster. Eventually, they'll be required to cut the roster to 53. Which could mean they’ll be moving on from one of the three quarterbacks not named Aaron Rodgers. Or will they? Chris Simms and I talked it through during Monday's PFT Live . And we came to the conclusion that they'll possibly keep all of them — Rodgers, Mason Rudolph , Will Howard , and Drew Allar . It rarely ever happens. Three, for most teams, is the maximum. (Plenty only keep two.) Still, this could be one of those unique situations in which a team keeps four quarterbacks after the cuts are made. As to Rudolph, the Steelers need a veteran who can play in a pinch. A guy who is game ready. A guy who can step in if Rodgers is injured during a game. And Rudolph has 34 regular-season appearances and 19 starts, with a 9-9-1 record. As to Allar, they just used a third-round pick to draft him. Even if they need to re-teach him the position from the ground up (and they apparently do), cutting Allar would be an admission that they wasted a prime pick, the 76th overall selection. As to Howard, the Steelers spent plenty of time in the offseason talking him up. McCarthy supposedly loves him. Cutting him would expose their comments as the smokescreen many believed they were. Yes, Allar or Howard — if cut — could be signed to the practice squad. But first they'd have to get through waivers. Any other team could make a claim. And if they aren't claimed by another team, wouldn't that be a loud and clear indictment that neither guy should have been drafted? The safe way to save face would be to trade Allar or Howard. Or to cut Rudolph (who wouldn't be subject to waivers) and sign him to the practice squad. They could then elevate Rudolph for game days and make him the backup quarterback. But Rudolph would have to be willing to not sign to another team's active roster, for that strategy to work. In the end, the only practical solution could be to keep all four of them on the 53-man roster. Which would make them shorthanded at some other position, by one player. With Rodgers back, it's a good problem to have. Still, the only good problem is no problem. With four quarterbacks, the Steelers eventually will have a problem to solve as to how the rest of the depth chart fits into the 53-man limit
With quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh, the Steelers now have four quarterbacks on the offseason roster. Eventually, they’ll be required to cut the roster to 53. Which could mean they’ll be moving on from one of the three quarterbacks not named Aaron Rodgers. Or will they? Chris Simms and I talked it through during Monday’s PFT Live . And we came to the conclusion that they’ll possibly keep all of them — Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar. It rarely ever happens. Three, for most teams, is the maximum. (Plenty only keep two.) Still, this could be one of those unique situations in which a team keeps four quarterbacks after the cuts are made. As to Rudolph, the Steelers need a veteran who can play in a pinch. A guy who is game ready. A guy who can step in if Rodgers is injured during a game. And Rudolph has 34 regular-season appearances and 19 starts, with a 9-9-1 record. As to Allar, they just used a third-round pick to draft him. Even if they need to re-teach him the position from the ground up (and they apparently do), cutting Allar would be an admission that they wasted a prime pick, the 76th overall selection. As to Howard, the Steelers spent plenty of time in the offseason talking him up. McCarthy supposedly loves him. Cutting him would expose their comments as the smokescreen many believed they were. Yes, Allar or Howard — if cut — could be signed to the practice squad. But first they’d have to get through waivers. Any other team could make a claim. And if they aren’t claimed by another team, wouldn’t that be a loud and clear indictment that neither guy should have been drafted? The safe way to save face would be to trade Allar or Howard. Or to cut Rudolph (who wouldn’t be subject to waivers) and sign him to the practice squad. They could then elevate Rudolph for game days and make him the backup quarterback. But Rudolph would have to be willing to not sign to another team’s active roster, for that strategy to work. In the end, the only practical solution could be to keep all four of them on the 53-man roster. Which would make them shorthanded at some other position, by one player. With Rodgers back, it’s a good problem to have. Still, the only good problem is no problem. With four quarterbacks, the Steelers eventually will have a problem to solve as to how the rest of the depth chart fits into the 53-man limit
All eyes are on the quarterback position for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not just because Aaron Rodgers returned for his 22nd NFL season, but because the team now has four quarterbacks on its roster, meaning one will be the odd man out. With how Pittsburgh divided the reps on the first day of OTAs, it looks like Mason Rudolph will be drawing the short straw. Per Nick Farabaugh, the Steelers gave the second-team reps to Will Howard while Rudolph took QB3 reps and rookie Drew Allar went last at QB4. Obviously, the Steelers won’t be letting Allar go after selecting him in the third round of the draft last month, so his spot is as safe as anyone. It will all but certainly come down to Howard and Rudolph for the final quarterback spot. The tough line to walk for the Steelers is that Rudolph is a reliable backup who they know can keep them afloat should Rodgers go down. There is a large level of uncertainty with Howard, who has never taken an NFL snap. Would Pittsburgh go into the season with two quarterbacks behind a son-to-be 43-year-old quarterback who have a combined zero NFL games played? That would be a very large risk to take. That said, they’ll never know what they have in Howard if he never sees the field. He, along with Rudolph and Allar, will get that chance come preseason to earn their respective roster spots. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Steelers make big changes on offensive line to begin OTAs Steelers rookie changes jersey number ahead of OTAs The good and bad with Aaron Rodgers in 2026 Aaron Rodgers gets big raise from Steelers Dan Orlovsky predicts double-digit losses for Steelers
Aaron Rodgers is officially back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After months of consternation about his future, in the end, all it took was a report that the Steelers were growing weary of Rodgers “will he, won’t he” routine for him to come to the party, sign his one-year deal, and cement that he’s playing in 2026. Funny how that works. This puts the whole Rodgers mess to bed, at least for another season. Now the Steelers can move ahead with some sort of certainty at the quarterback position after staring down the gun of potentially needing to start Mason Rudolph , Will Howard , or rookie Drew Allar — functionally ending the team’s season before it begins. The question now pivots to what is the ceiling of this team with Rodgers at the helm, and could this end up being a massive mistake? The question of whether or not this is the correct move is couched wholly in one incontrovertible fact: Every NFL team needs to rebuild eventually. It’s a reality the Steelers have been staving off since Ben Roethlisberger ’s retirement following the 2021 season, and to their credit, the organization has been competitive — but there’s also been a ceiling when it comes to quarterback. Whether it was Kenny Pickett , Russell Wilson , Justin Fields , or Aaron Rodgers, the team has been a consistent playoff team, but that’s where the success ends. The Steelers have been bounced in the Wild Card round during their last five playoff appearances, and you need to go back to 2017 to find the last time Pittsburgh made it out of the opening round. With the addition of Michael Pittman Jr. there’s no question this is the best receiving corps the team has had in years, and with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle the team has a fascinating one-two punch at running back for this upcoming season. Now it’s time to talk brass tacks: Is this new-look Steelers team demonstrably better for bringing back Aaron Rodgers, and what is their ceiling? By Mark Schofield After months of speculation, the Pittsburgh Steelers have their quarterback for the 2026 season. Aaron Rodgers ended that speculation, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Steelers over this past weekend. Rodgers is already back at work, having been spotted inside the facility as the team opens OTAs this Monday morning. But how much does Rodgers move the needle for the Steelers at this point in his career? Based on last season, probably not much. While Rodgers represented arguably the best option for the Steelers at the most important position in the game, that is also a relative concept. After all, beyond Rodgers the Steelers were looking at second-year quarterback Will Howard, rookie Drew Allar, or longtime backup Mason Rudolph. Given that, Rodgers is the best option. But this is still a quarterback that posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 6.3 last year – ranking him 18th among qualified quarterbacks in the NFL – with a QBR of 44.4, which ranked him 27th in the league. When you look at Quarterback Efficiency , a metric that compares both Expected Points Added per Pass and Completion Percentage over Expectation, you see the rest of the picture. Here is that chart, courtesy of RBSDM.com : Last year Rodgers was, at best, a league-average quarterback. How much does a league-average quarterback, one year older, move the needle for the Steelers? Probably not much, in a crowded AFC field and in particular a difficult AFC North, with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals expected to be tough opponents this year, and the Cleveland Browns coming off a very impressive offseason. What could be a saving grace for the Steelers is that the AFC North is paired with the NFC South this year for non-conference games, which could help their record a bit. But one particular stretch of their schedule stands out: A run following their bye week, which sees Pittsburgh play at Cincinnati, at Philadelphia , against Denver on a short week, against Houston, at Jacksonville , and against Baltimore. Those six
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The Pittsburgh Steelers will need to make a decision about their quarterback room now that Aaron Rodgers has returned. With four quarterbacks on the roster (Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar), one is expected to be traded or released. While Rudolph might seem like the obvious choice, his veteran experience could be valuable. The team's investment in Allar via a third-round pick makes his departure unlikely. This leaves Will Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick, as the most probable candidate to be moved, despite new coach Mike McCarthy's supposed high regard for him
Aaron Rodgers waited until the final possible moment before committing to a one-year deal with the Steelers, ending months of speculation shortly before offseason activities began. The 42-year-old quarterback's decision, made days before mandatory minicamp, provided clarity at the quarterback position and allowed the team to avoid entering the summer without a solidified starter. Rodgers led the Steelers to the playoffs last season, but their postseason ended in a wild-card loss
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers has agreed to a new one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, reportedly worth a guaranteed $22 million, extending his NFL career into its 22nd season. Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, led the Steelers to the playoffs last season and will play under new coach Mike McCarthy. The Steelers also drafted Drew Allar and have Will Howard as potential successors
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
