Will Howard discusses his inspiration Aaron Rodgers praising his work ethic as he looks forward to growth. On the hand, the Steelers may bring forth changes to the game-plan owing to his injury.
Super Bowl XLV champion Aaron Rodgers, one of the NFL’s most iconic quarterbacks, has officially joined the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal for the 2025 season. Wasting no time in his new role, the four-time MVP has embraced mentorship, guiding rookie quarterback Will Howard both on the practice field and in team meetings. Howard has openly praised Rodgers, calling him “so awesome” and crediting those early lessons as invaluable to his development. Yet with the rookie now sidelined by injury, the Steelers may be forced to rethink certain aspects of their quarterback rotation and overall game plan.
Rookie Will Howard is the newest QB acquired by the Pittsburgh Steelers. While talking about his experience at the his new team, Howard reveals on the Pat McAfee Show –
“He gets on everybody. He expects excellence and he’s demanding. He’s a great leader. It’s been great to just sit back and watch the way that he operates. I’ve been learning from it and trying to pick his brain as much as I can.”
Howard was placed on IR by the Steelers some days ago, owing to a finger injury. However, a broken finger did not stop him from learning as much as he could from the first player in the NFL to achieve a career rating of over 100. Howard is among the prospective QBs to succeed Rodger once the 20-year-old veteran announces his exit from the sport. So far, he has been a dedicated learner.
The hand injury he sustained during the training camp has been serious news for the Steelers. Due to his condition, it is guaranteed that Howard will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season. Although Howard is already making progress towards a return. He revealed on the show that he is back to throwing this week. Howard missed some important prep throughout the preseason, and his recovery is important for both him and the team.
So far, according to Howard, he has been looking at the NFL 2025-2026 season as a developmental year. He wouldn’t mind staying in the shadow of Aaron Rodgers if it means he can grow as much as possible with him.
“I think all along I was looking at this season as a developmental year, and I think we all kind of were with the Steelers. Obviously you don’t bring in Aaron Rodgers for no reason. He’s a guy that’s coming in to be the guy, at least for this year, and we don’t know what it’ll look like going forward. Right now, I’m going into this season saying, ‘I want to learn everything I possibly can from Aaron. Just watch the way he goes about his business.'”
Now that the rookie is on IR, a 53-man roster spot has opened for Steelers’ Skylar Thompson. Thompson has been impressive throughout the preseason, and as a result, he will be serving as the QB No. 3 behind Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. The team will face problems if they were to bring back Howard from IR. Ultimately, it’s up to the Steelers to decide who will be the best fit on the roster.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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