After saying goodbye to Mike Tomlin after a borderline unprecedented 19-year-run, the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to start a new chapter in 2026, with a new head coach running the show and 2025 starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, unlikely to return under center.
With their eyes firmly placed on the future, Omar Khan took some time on the Rich Eisen Show to talk about the team's quarterback plans for the fall, which could involve a veteran option, a new player in the 2026 NFL Draft, or another arm already in the locker room like, say, Will Howard, who was drafted in the sixth round out of Ohio State last spring.
“We’re still trying to identify who that next franchise quarterback is for us; we don’t know. Is it Will Howard?” Khan asked. “We’ll see. But we’re not there yet. We have to figure that out.”
Digging deeper into Howard as a prospect, Khan noted that Tomlin was a big fan of OSU player's game coming out of Columbus and hopes to see what he can do this year.
“Mike evaluated those quarterbacks last year. He was out, but he did evaluate him. He really liked Will. You know Will’s a winner; there is a lot to like about Will,” Khan said.
“There is a lot that can happen between now and then, but the opportunity is going to be there, I think, and whether its this year or at some point for him to show us what he’s got.”
Would it be an incredible feat for Howard, a player who has yet to play a regular season snap, to come in and become a franchise quarterback in Year 2? Most certainly so, but it wouldn't be unprecedented, as Tony Romo went undrafted, as did Kurt Warner, and Brock Purdy, one of the top signal callers in the NFL today, was selected 77 picks later than Howard in 2021. Even if the Steelers add a few more quarterbacks this offseason, one way or another, who knows, maybe Howard will be the one who comes out on top in the end.
