The Pittsburgh Steelers are still awaiting a decision from Aaron Rodgers on his future with them, but they already have at least one contingency plan should the multiple-time MVP decide to retire.
On Thursday, 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Filipponi claimed, citing the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, that the reigning AFC North champions were eyeing journeyman Jacoby Brissett. The plan is for him to start in 2026, before Will Howard takes over:
STEELERS QB UPDATE: The Steelers could sign Jacoby Brissett. If Aaron Rodgers tells the Steelers he’s done. Per excellent Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo. Brissett would start. And then eventually give way to Will Howard. Brissett threw 23 TD in 2025. Wow.
A third-round pick for the New England Patriots in 2016, Brissett was last seen with the Arizona Cardinals, where he signed a two-year, $12.5-million contract for the 2025 season. An injury to Kyler Murray meant that he started over half of his game for the third time in his career.
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He finished with 3,366 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns against eight interceptions. Memorably, during a 41-22 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in November, he set the regular-season single-game record for completions at 47 – a rare bright spot for the currently moribund $5.5-billion (according to Sportico) franchise.
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Steelers youngster Will Howard will have a long NFL career, says Aaron Rodgers
Speaking of Will Howard, Aaron Rodgers has nothing but good words for him based on the brief amount of time they spent together at the Steelers. On Wednesday’s episode of Pat McAfee’s eponymous show, he praised the incoming second-year player as “incredible to work with”:
“What a great young player. … I think has what it takes from a personality and a moxie standpoint to have a long career in the league.”
He continued:
“When his time comes, he’s going to be more than capable of being, not just a consistent starter, but a guy who can stick in the league for a long, long time.”
Howard had an unfortunate start to his rookie season, suffering a fracture to his throwing hand during summer camp and missing the preseason as a result. He returned to practice in October and was added to the 53-man roster the next month, but ultimately did not play a game.