The Pittsburgh Steelers may again have a new starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL Season, as all signs have pointed to Aaron Rodgers retiring after the season, and there'd also be no guarantee that the front office would bring Rodgers back if he wanted to play another season.
Until Pittsburgh gets serious about the QB position, they won't vault to contender status and will continue floating in this 'irrelevant middle' tier. GM Omar Khan, though, may continue trying to patchwork the QB position since the Steelers aren't a total dumpster fire.
Let's rank the most likely Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterbacks come Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season
Who should start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL Season?
3. Mac Jones (via trade)
Mac Jones was starting earlier this year for the San Francisco 49ers due to Brock Purdy's toe injury. Jones went 5-3 as a starter and threw for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He finished with a 97.4 passer rating and had a great 69.6 completion percentage.
He'd be just 28 at the start of the 2026 NFL Season, and with this good play he has recently, Omar Khan might not be able to help himself. If nothing else, Jones could hold the fort down for a year if the Steelers all of a sudden get serious about the position and use legitimate NFL Draft capital on a quarterback.
He helped lead the New England Patriots into the playoffs as a rookie in 2021 and might end up being a realistic option, as the demand for quarterbacks this coming offseason could be a lot larger than the supply.
2. Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph is under contract through the 2026 season for the Steelers and might be another logical QB to step in for Week 1. Rudolph is in his second stint with the Steelers and is a perfectly fine backup passer in this league. He has spot-start potential but is not someone who needs to take the reins for an entire season. However, the argument for Rudolph is that he knows the team and the offense and has filled in nicely at times for Pittsburgh.
You'd ideally love to be optimistic here and say that the Steelers could start a Jones or Rudolph and have a first or second-round pick as the backup, trying to develop. That could be a legitimate scenario, so Steelers fans may have to stomach Mac Jones or Mason Rudolph under center for 2026.
1. Kyler Murray (via trade)
Kyler Murray would be a major move for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Murray has hardly played this year for the Arizona Cardinals, and all indications point to the Cardinals moving on from the veteran QB in some capacity this offseason.
Financially, his contract is tradeable, but he has a cap hit of over $50 million in 2026, so it would be hard for any team to stomach that type of commitment. Murray has 153 total touchdowns and 60 interceptions across his career. He has a 38-48-1 record as well and did appear in the playoffs back in 2021.
He's a good quarterback in most instances, but has otherwise had an average career. If the Steelers could field a strong defense and perhaps add another notable playmaker to the offense, Kyler Murray might be able to succeed for a few years.
At worst, he'd give Pittsburgh a high-floor quarterback and also give them a player who still has a bit of youth on his side. The Steelers have messed around with over-the-hill veteran quarterbacks recently, and that simply isn't a recipe for success.
Kyler Murray turns just 29 next August and could also be more motivated than ever to perform well, given that the Cardinals have pretty much made up their minds on him.