Mike McCarthy is Best Thing to Happen to Steelers' Will Howard

PITTSBURGH -- Will Howard might actually get a shot to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers one day. Maybe it won't be this season, as Aaron Rodgers is expected to return and while the team remains without their starter, feels confident he's going to play in 2026.

2027 is a whole new story, though. And even if Rodgers surprises the Steelers and decides to retire, Howard is next in line to get an opportunity.

That opportunity would've never come without Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy truly does see something in the former Ohio State National Champion. The way he views the position, he's capable of scultping anyone with the physical and mental traits into a starter. Howard presents both, and while he's not viewed as elite in anything in particular, McCarthy thinks he's got enough to develop into something special.

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"People get caught up in what round he went in," McCarthy said at the NFL League Meetings. "If I was drafting players that year, he wouldn’t have been around in the fifth or sixth round. I valued him higher than that based off Kansas State. And man, I thought he jumped out of the tv set during the college playoffs. What not is there to like about the guy? So, I think he’s definitely a real prospect as a starting quarterback."

What McCarthy sees is a player who has the basics down but could use some help in the mechanics of playing quarterback. Something he specializes in working with names like Joe Montana, Rodgers and Brett Favre.

"You can talk about some things throwing the ball," McCarthy said. "I think there’s a lot of growth with his feet... My point is, there’s room for development there and I think there’s a lot to work with."

Howard Had Little Chance Before McCarthy

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard — Pittsburgh Steelers

Without McCarthy, Howard is already set on a path as a career backup. That's why the Steelers drafted him, because they knew they would get a decent quarterback with a good attitude, who could play behind whoever they drafted in 2026.

Any time Mike Tomlin was asked about Howard, he'd brush off the comment, pushing that he didn't want to talk about a sixth-round pick who's a backup. Under Tomlin, the plan already seemed to be in place.

That didn't work out, though. The quarterback class in 2026 turned out to be weak and at the same time, Tomlin walked away. Everything changed for the Steelers, and for Howard.

We are a long way away from anything being given to Howard. And he still needs to earn anything he's going to accomplish in the NFL.

McCarthy gives him a chance, though. One that he would not have gotten under the last coaching staff.

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