Steelers reportedly have decided on fallback option if Aaron Rodgers retires

While it certainly seems like people within the Pittsburgh Steelers are confident Aaron Rodgers will re-sign with the club in time to report for OTAs on May 18 and reclaim his spot as the team's starting quarterback, nothing was official as of Monday morning. 

Thus, backup Mason Rudolph, 2025 rookie Will Howard and 2026 third-round draft pick Drew Allar remained on track to be Pittsburgh's top options at the position as of May 11. For a piece published on Monday morning, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US suggested that Pittsburgh's starting quarterback this coming September will either be Rodgers or somebody who is already on the roster. 

Will Steelers pursue a different quarterback if Aaron Rodgers retires?

"The Steelers are very excited about the development of 2025 draft pick Will Howard, league sources said, and while some have written that off as hype, we continue to hear that new head coach Mike McCarthy is already a fan of his, and he will have a very real chance to compete for a starting job if Rodgers is not back," La Canfora wrote. "...The team is not pursuing any veteran options, be they trade or free agents, the sources said, with agents for available quarterbacks saying they have not heard from Steelers brass."

A 2025 sixth-round draft pick, Howard took no in-game snaps as a rookie after he suffered a hand injury last August. That said, McCarthy has repeatedly insisted since he was hired this past winter that he views Howard as a legitimate NFL starter. 

Does Drew Allar have a chance to start for the Steelers this year? 

Meanwhile, some understandably have wondered if the Steelers could give Allar an opportunity to compete for the starting job if Rodgers retires this spring or summer. 

"The Steelers used a mid-round pick on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar," La Canfora added, "but that is a developmental play, and the organization realized if he is going to be starting quality, it would be in 2027 or beyond. There is no rush to see him on the field before then. Rodgers will not impact that schedule one way or the other. And he might not impact the Steelers at all at this point."

Also on Monday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared that the Steelers "clearly anticipated" Rodgers could remain unsigned through this stage of the offseason. That said, reports have indicated that Rodgers' camp and the Steelers will soon finalize the details of what may become the final contract of the future Hall of Famer's playing career.