Steelers Face Quarterback Uncertainty, Roethlisberger Weighs In on What Comes Next
As the Pittsburgh Steelers head into a pivotal offseason, one question looms larger than any other: who’s going to be under center next season?
The quarterback situation in Pittsburgh is wide open. Aaron Rodgers, who took snaps for the team this past season, hasn’t yet made a call on whether he’ll return for another year.
And even if he does, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back in black and gold-especially with Mike Tomlin no longer steering the ship. Add in a 2026 draft class that’s looking thinner at quarterback than initially expected, and the Steelers suddenly find themselves in a bit of a bind.
Enter Ben Roethlisberger.
The former franchise cornerstone, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in Pittsburgh, shared his thoughts this week on how the organization should approach its quarterback conundrum. And he didn’t mince words.
“I would not draft a quarterback for at least 2-3 years,” Roethlisberger said on his podcast. “That’s just my opinion.”
His reasoning? It’s all about the build.
“The issue that I see with a lot of teams is they get a quarterback, and they try to build around that quarterback,” he said. “I think it should be the other way around. I think you should build a team and put your quarterback in it.”
Roethlisberger pointed to his own rookie season as the model. Back in 2004, he was dropped into a veteran-laden roster with a dominant defense, a powerful run game, and a locker room full of leaders.
The result? A 15-1 regular season record and 13 straight wins as a starter.
Not bad for a rookie.
That team leaned on its identity-smashmouth football, defensive grit, and a reliable ground game. With Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley combining for over 1,700 rushing yards, Roethlisberger didn’t have to carry the offense. He just had to steer the ship.
“It works better than trying to grab a quarterback and (being) like, ‘OK, we’re gonna build around this quarterback,’” he said. “Because then it’s gonna take you four or five years to build around that quarterback. He’s probably gonna look like poo up to it, then you’re like, ‘Is he really our guy or is he not our guy?’”
It’s a fair point, especially considering how things have gone since Roethlisberger retired. The Steelers have cycled through six different starting quarterbacks, including Kenny Pickett, a first-round pick in 2022 who lasted just two seasons before being moved.
Roethlisberger also threw his support behind a lesser-known name in the quarterback room: Will Howard. The Ohio State product was a sixth-round pick last year and hasn’t seen much action yet, but Big Ben sees something in him.
“I love his heart, his fire, I think he is Pittsburgh,” Roethlisberger said. “I think he’s tough, he’s gritty, he’s going to get you what you want. Could be completely wrong, but I think you have a guy in there.”
Howard may not be the most talked-about name on the roster, but in a city that values toughness and resilience, he might just be the kind of player who resonates. Whether he gets his shot remains to be seen, but with the quarterback carousel still spinning in Pittsburgh, nothing’s off the table.
The Steelers are clearly at a crossroads-between the uncertainty of Rodgers’ future, the lack of a clear-cut draft option, and the search for a new head coach. But if Roethlisberger’s advice carries weight-and it usually does in Pittsburgh-it might be time for the franchise to take a long, hard look at the roster around the quarterback before rushing to find the next one.