Pat Freiermuth was speaking with media the day after the most recent Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ended. The topic was the difficulties he has faced in gaining traction as a reliable producer in the receiving game.
“I think it’s going to be, what, 10 quarterbacks in six years?” the veteran tight end said. “It’s pretty frustrating.”
In the emotion of the season-ending defeat just about 13 hours prior, Freiermuth can be excused for a pair of inaccuracies.
First, Freiermuth has played only five NFL seasons. And he’s caught regular-season passes from only eight quarterbacks.
It certainly, though, seems like more. And perhaps Freiermuth was already looking ahead to his sixth pro season. Because in 2026, odds are good the Steelers will have yet another starting quarterback.
Unless Aaron Rodgers returns for a 22nd NFL season at age 42 — and Steelers president Art Rooney II publicly downplayed that possibility last week — the Steelers come September will have a different Week 1 starting quarterback for a sixth consecutive season.
Taking away Ben Roethlisberger’s final season in 2021, the Steelers have had six different quarterbacks make at least five starts for them over the past four seasons.
Barring the aforementioned unlikely Rodgers return, the only way that number doesn’t grow in 2026 is if Mason Rudolph makes another start. He’s under contract for the coming season, but at a backup-rate salary.
Whoever the new head coach ends up being surely will influence what the Steelers do at the sport’s most important position. Perhaps the individual hired as coach has a relationship or connection to a quarterback out there, or maybe the offensive scheme/philosophy that he implements would make for a good fit for a specific available passer.
The Steelers have plenty of routes they can take on their quest to find their next quarterback. None, seemingly, are ideal. But here’s a crack at examining their options:
Stay the course
With Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard under contract, if Rodgers wants to come back the Steelers could “run it back” with the same trio that helped produce a playoff berth this past season.
Under that scenario, there’s no chance anyone other than Rodgers would be the anointed starter. And Rodgers, generally, was OK this past season. Though he got rid of the ball extremely quickly on average, he was a great fit in the locker room and his statistics overall were near the NFL average.
But basic human physiology dictates that Rodgers won’t be physically getting better as he turns 43 during the coming season. And as one of the biggest names and most recognizable faces of the sport for going on two decades, Rodgers’ massive presence could loom over the new coach trying to assert himself and establish his own voice and culture.
Taking the ‘bridge’
Rodgers at this stage of his career was always intended to be a “bridge” quarterback — like Russell Wilson and Mitch Trubisky before him — until the Steelers find their long-term answer. Who’s to say the Steelers won’t take yet another bridge in a city known for them?
Rudolph is a possibility. Wilson, Trubisky and Kenny Pickett are free agents — but such a reunion happening is almost unthinkable. The viable options on the free-agent market include the likes of Marcus Mariota, Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor or Jimmy Garoppolo.
In short, there’s a reason why any of the above will be available for cheap and willing to join a team on a short-term basis. The ship has sailed on the idea any is going to be a high-end starter.
But to add one in conjunction with Rudolph, Howard and, say, a mid-round drafted rookie? Such an ensemble could get the Steelers through 2026, theoretically keeping them in contention for a playoff spot.
Go get an established starter
Barring something unforeseen such as an acrimonious contract stalemate, there is not expected to be an in-his-prime, better-than-average QB available. Why? Well, there almost never is. With extremely rare exception, teams that have them simply do not let them go.
But a tier below? Sure. Daniel Jones is scheduled for free agency, Kyler Murray is likely to be traded. Tua Tagovailoa, too. If not, either could be cut (if so, probably with a post-June 1 designation). Geno Smith likewise fits that profile.
All, of course, have varying degrees of red flags. Jones is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, and his career before 2025 was six seasons of uninspiring play. Plus, the Indianapolis Colts might re-sign him before he even hits the market.
Murray, Tagovailoa and Smith were benched this past season. Each is overpaid relative to his production. Though each comes with a pedigree that suggests a change of scenery would compel a breakout, it’s probably more likely none will ever flourish. Smith is 35.
The San Francisco 49ers would probably listen to a compelling trade offer for Mac Jones, a former first-round pick who shined in eight starts this season in place of an injured Brock Purdy. But that would functionally mean a pricey contract extension in addition to trade compensation — all for a QB who previously was 20-29 as a starter for two other teams.
Rookie route
In the most ideal world for the Steelers, a QB that they judge as can’t-miss is available to them when it’s their turn to welcome a prospect up to the stage for the draft they are hosting in April.
Loosely speaking, the Steelers for more than a year now had been eyeing the 2026 draft for their best path at getting their next franchise quarterback. But what had long been projected as a stellar QB class disintegrated for myriad reasons.
As things stand now, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is the only quarterback certain to be taken in the first round — and he is the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 overall, well before the pick the Steelers have (21st).
Alabama’s Ty Simpson is believed to be worthy of a pick in that range, so he’s an option if the Steelers become enamored with him in the coming months.
After that appears to be a significant drop-off to the likes of Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss (if he isn’t allowed to stay in school), Cade Klubnik of Clemson, Drew Allar of Penn State and Garrett Nussmeier of LSU.
At this point, any in that latter group would probably be drafted in conjunction with the idea he might have to beat out the likes of Rudolph, Howard and/or a veteran acquisition.
Willing to go Willis
Somewhere in between the choices above falls the Malik Willis option. Willis remains young enough (27 in May), with high-enough pedigree (the third quarterback taken in the 2022 draft) and solid-enough recent results (3-0 as a starter with a 134.6 passer rating over the past two seasons) that he still could be viewed as a longer-term franchise quarterback.
He also, though, could function as the proverbial bridge to the next one. In what is a weak free-agent market, Willis figures to have suitors. The Steelers might not want to get into a bidding war against a team that sees Willis as “the guy” – but they could hold appeal to Willis if Rudolph and Howard are his lone competition.
He’s made six career starts for two teams over four NFL seasons, however, with just three since late 2022. As such, he’s no sure thing. Would be succeed in a bigger sample size, or perhaps get exposed outside of the system of Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur?