Aaron Rodgers at Steelers OTAs: What QB Depth Chart Looked Like at First Practice Back

Pittsburgh’s trio of signal-callers behind Aaron Rodgers in Drew Allar, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are fighting to back up the 42-year-old.

Aaron Rodgers was back at Steelers practice on Monday. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers is back for another season in the NFL.

After waiting it out for much of the spring, the 42-year-old officially re-signed with the Steelers on Monday morning, inking a one-year contract that includes a $22 million dollar base salary and is worth up to $25 million with incentives. The move brings Rodgers back to Pittsburgh for a second season, and also reunites him with head coach Mike McCarthy—who he played under for 13 seasons while in Green Bay.

While Rodgers’s decision to return to the Steelers comes nearly four months after the franchise originally expected an answer from him—and nearly four weeks after their offseason program began—it also, whether intentional or not, lined up perfectly with the start of the Steelers’ Organized Team Activities (OTA), which began on Monday.

MORE: 2 Reasons Why Aaron Rodgers Will Lead Steelers to the Playoffs in 2026, and 3 Why He Won’t

Local media were in attendance at Pittsburgh’s UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for the start of the team’s on-field sessions, giving us our first glimpse at Rodgers return to the Steelers. With new wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.—who was traded for from the Colts this offseason—now in the fold, the team shared the below video on social media of the QB–WR duo’s first connection.

First @AaronRodgers12 ➡️ @MikePitt_Jr connection 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a5hqcnfZST

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 18, 2026

Additionally, with four quarterbacks now on the Steelers’ roster heading into the 2026 season, Monday’s practice offered an early look at how their initial depth chart is shaping up.

Steelers QB Depth Chart: Where Aaron Rodgers fit in at first OTA practice of 2026

Aaron Rodgers re-signed with the Steelers on Monday. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

String	Player
Starter	Aaron Rodgers
Backup	Will Howard
Third string	Mason Rudolph
Fourth string	Drew Allar

As relayed by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Rodgers slid right back into the team’s QB1 spot on Monday morning, with Will Howard, Mason Rudolph and Drew Allar following suit—in that order. Howard, 24, is entering his second season with the Steelers after being selected in the sixth round of the 2025 draft, while Rudolph, 30, is in his second stint in Pittsburgh after re-signing with the club last offseason. Allar, meanwhile, was a third-round pick this past April and is understandably taking the last reps, as a rookie in his position should be.

“[Rodgers] went through and completed passes to Michael Pittman Jr., and DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson, Pat Freiermuth,” Pryor said of the quarterback’s involvement on Monday. “Just getting that work in with all of his teammates.”

The latest on Aaron Rodgers' first day back in Pittsburgh with @HannahStormESPN and Tim Hasselbeck for @SportsCenter ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7jbw11XUDO

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 18, 2026

“We were just talking to a couple of them,” she continued. “They were a little bit surprised to see Aaron Rodgers here this morning, but ... they were excited to have him back in the fold. This is just Day 1.”

The Steelers, boasting the ninth-toughest schedule in 2026 according to Sports Illustrated, are set to open the season in Pittsburgh with a Week 1 matchup against the Falcons.

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