With Aaron Rodgers' return, Steelers now have a QB conundrum - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers' official return, marked by the quarterback expected to sign a one-year deal worth up to $25 million on Saturday, answers one question for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It also creates several others.

Who's the odd man out in a four-person QB room? Does there have to be one? Do the Steelers prioritize a veteran with higher floors or youngsters with higher, yet unknown, ceilings? How will they juggle practice reps between a veteran relearning an offensive system and inexperienced signal-callers who are still in development?

The next couple of months will answer the bulk of those questions as the Steelers progress through their offseason training, to July's training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and ultimately to the August roster reduction from 90 players to 53 — plus up to 17 on the practice squad.

The work to solve the Steelers' backup quarterback conundrum begins now.

After the second day of rookie minicamp on May 9, coach Mike McCarthy said that working with three quarterbacks is typical for his coaching style but having four would be «awesome.» However, a McCarthy-led team has never entered Week 1 with four quarterbacks on the team's active roster, according to Elias Sports Bureau, and in 10 of 18 seasons as head coach, McCarthy's teams have carried three quarterbacks into the season opener.

In addition to Rodgers, the Steelers have 2018 third-round pick Mason Rudolph, 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and 2026 third-rounder Drew Allar.

Neither Allar nor Howard has taken an NFL snap, and though Howard spent the 2025 season with the Steelers, most of his time was on injured reserve.

Rudolph has played in 19 games over his seven-year pro career and has completed 64.4% of his career attempts for