The Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make his decision about returning for the 2026 season, but one prominent voice in the locker room has already made his position clear on the quarterback situation.
All-Pro Cameron Heyward is not a big fan of the idea of Pittsburgh using the 21st overall pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, as he has faith in Will Howard and wants the team to adopt a different strategy.
Cam Heyward Expresses Faith in Will Howard Over Ty Simpson
In a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Heyward was asked whether the Steelers should use their first-round pick to draft Simpson. The 36-year-old veteran expressed confidence in Rodgers returning for the upcoming season and discussed the four-time NFL MVP’s relationship with Howard.
“So, the one thing I’ve loved is that Aaron has been a big fan of Will’s, and watched him from afar, and watched him grow this year,” Heyward said. “Will is always going to compete. Will has always had, you know, the chips stacked against him, and now, you know, he’s going to a year where there’s a little uncertainty.”
Heyward then further talked about how the Steelers should use their first-round pick and other resources to improve their roster so that whoever succeeds Rodgers will have a better group of players around him.
“Obviously, everybody wants Aaron back, but if you do go in a direction where you have Will, you feel pretty confident, and I think when you look at the 21st pick, why not insulate?” Heyward added. “Why not have some other guys that build out your roster? That way, you can look at and say whoever takes over this job is going to have weapons, is going to have more pieces around him.”
Heyward has seen multiple quarterbacks leading the team during his 15 seasons in Pittsburgh and understands what it takes to build around a developing signal caller. His confidence in Howard’s ability suggests that the Steelers’ locker room has bought into the young quarterback’s potential after seeing him work behind the scenes throughout his rookie year.
Head coach Mike McCarthy has also recently expressed confidence in Howard, noting that he valued the young quarterback higher than his sixth-round draft position based on his college film.
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The Steelers have already made significant moves to bolster their offense this offseason. After acquiring D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks last year, the team added Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts in March to give Rodgers or Howard a formidable one-two punch at receiver.
The team has also hosted multiple wide receiver prospects for pre-draft visits, including potential first-rounders Denzel Boston and Makai Lemon. It means that the team is aligned with Heyward’s vision
Rodgers is expected to return for another season, and if he does, having him work with Howard for another year could provide valuable mentorship that prepares the young quarterback to eventually take over the starting job. That scenario would make drafting Simpson at No. 21 unnecessary and would allow Pittsburgh to address more immediate needs at positions like offensive guard or wide receiver.
According to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, the Steelers had the 14th-ranked offense in the league last year, but with McCarthy now the head coach, getting another playmaker through the draft could propel them into having a top-tier offense in 2026.
