Steelers' Christian Kuntz Makes Bold QB Claim

Aug 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Will Howard (18) and Drew Allar (16) warm up for a pre-season game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steelers' Christian Kuntz Makes Bold QB Claim

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 21, 2026 5:04 PM ET

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PITTSBURGH — The biggest challenge for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is identifying and developing the next franchise quarterback.

The Steelers are giving him a bit of a head start, with a pair of young, internal options to work with. Will Howard and Drew Allar have earned high praise and compliments from teammates and the coaching staff over the course of training camp.

So much so, that it’s led one of their teammates to make a bold proclamation. Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz recently claimed on his podcast, The Christian Kuntz Podcast, that the team’s next franchise quarterback is already on the roster.

”What a situation to walk into. You’re a 23-year-old quarterback and you get to learn from Coach McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers,” he said, “Just to come into that room for those guys, man, is special. It’s an opportunity. And I think the future quarterback of the Steelers is in-house right now. One of those three guys I truly think is the future of the Steelers.”

Is Allar the Player Kuntz Has in Mind?

This was a quote that’s sure to feed the preseason conversation mill. Kuntz is clearly focusing a lot of this statement on the youngsters, but he ends it by referring to “those three guys,” when referring to the options for a future franchise QB.

Maybe he was referring to Allar, the team’s recent third-round pick. He had the most impressive debut of of any rookie quarterback in the preseason, throwing for two touchdowns and running for an additional one himself.

Now, he’s set to play a whole half of football against the New York Jets, ready to prove that he’s the guy to invest in long-term. There’s no denying the strides he’s taken under McCarthy, but has it been enough to convince Kuntz and the rest of the Steelers that he’s QB1 of the future?

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maybe Kuntz and Steelers Believe in Howard?

Maybe Kuntz was referring to the second-year player, Will Howard. Howard is set to make his first ever NFL start, albeit in a preseason contest, and face the stiffest competition of his young career.

He’s being, quite literally, thrown into the fire. If he succeeds, he will seriously disrupt the team’s plans for quarterback, but that’s a big if.

As the team awaits the next kick-off, maybe Kuntz was sharing his and the organization’s belief in Howard as the heir apparent at quarterback.

It Can’t Be Rudolph, Right?

Kuntz may have been taking a diplomatic approach when he said that there were three options for the next franchise quarterback, but there continues to be a growing belief in Mason Rudolph. Both his teammates and the coaching staff continue to shine a light on the 31-year-old gunslinger,

Maybe it’s a ploy to get trade value for Rudolph. Maybe it’s a reflection of the fact that this organization has a significant level of belief in Rudolph, both now and moving forward.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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