Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year contract worth $13.65 million following an unsuccessful campaign with the New York Jets.
Similar to last year, Rodgers is taking his time deciding whether to play again, but this time, Hall of Famer Rod Woodson is urging the Steelers to prioritize sophomore quarterback Will Howard going forward.
Rod Woodson on Steelers Quarterback Situation
With No. 185 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers selected Howard following his National Championship campaign with Ohio State.
However, the rookie quarterback didn’t get a chance to play because the team signed Rodgers to lead the offense after a mix of quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, in 2024.
In his first season with the Steelers, Rodgers completed 65.7% of passes for 3322 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. In PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric, Rodgers ranked 29th with an impact score of 71.4 and a letter grade of C-.
In PFSN’s NFL Offensive Impact Metric, the team ranked 25th with an impact score of 68.8 and a letter grade of D+ in 2024. After the addition of Rodgers, they ranked 14th with an impact score of 76.1 and a letter grade of C.
But now, there’s speculation around the future of Rodgers’ career and if he wants to play again. Cutting through all the rumors, Woodson emphasizes that the team should focus on Howard going forward:
“It’s something with the Green Bay Packers’ quarterbacks; they just like to wait… at the end of the day, though, with Aaron, they still need a quarterback, unless you believe in Will Howard. If you believe in Will Howard that much, don’t worry about Aaron Rodgers coming back because he’s going to need the reps.
So let’s get him started. If you really believe in him, then you should say, ‘Aaron’s not coming in, we’re not worried about Aaron; Howard is our guy.’ But right now it’s crickets and we’ll see.”
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Across 50 games in his college career with Kansas State and Ohio State, he completed 63.8% of passes for 9796 passing yards, 83 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions. Additionally, he rushed 331 times for 1147 yards and 26 touchdowns. In PFSN’s College Football Quarterback Impact Metric, his highest-rated season was 2024, where he finished with an impact score of 84.8 and a letter grade of B. That season, he finished ranked second among quarterbacks.
Now, the Steelers find themselves in a position similar to the one they were in last season: waiting for Rodgers to make a decision that will impact the strategy of the organization.
Do you think Rodgers will return, or will the ball be passed off to Howard?
