Aaron Rodgers hinted that this could be his final NFL season during his frequent bit on the Pat McAfee Show. Though, nothing Rodgers said can be taken at face value in the offseason, this is one thing he says that makes the most sense. Like he said, it would justify his one-year deal and incentive package that could incentivize him to go out with a bang.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers told the @PatMcAfeeShow that he’s “pretty sure this is it”, the last season of his NFL career. Rodgers said it is why he signed a one-year deal in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/MVRVcQhd6E
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 24, 2025
If this truly is his final season in Pittsburgh, the Steelers will once again be on the hunt for their future quarterback. They’ve played the quarterback carousel game each year since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season.
Pittsburgh will have a year to look for their future and could very use the quarterback play around the NFL this season to make their decision. Here’s a shortlist of the dark horse replacements for Rodgers and the Steelers quarterback rental company is still open for business.
4 dark horse candidates to fill Pittsburgh’s pending quarterback void
Anthony Richardson
The Pittsburgh Steelers should think about bringing Anthony Richardson to the Steel City. This is a very risky move, seeing as Richardson hasn’t had a healthy season in the NFL yet and is now injured before training camp even begins. He’s a major risk, but if Mike Tomlin and this offense can win with Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph, they should be able to make it work with Richardson.
The Indianapolis Colts have all but sealed Richardson’s future. He was benched for a couple games last year and just hasn’t gotten a real chance to grow with the Colts. If they turn to Daniel Jones at any point this season, it might be what seals Richardson’s fate. He could get a second chance to prove he’s a starter in the NFL in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers won’t have a lot of options. But Richardson is a young player that has a lot of potential to eventually be a decent starter. As long as the Steelers put weapons around him, it wouldn’t be a bad move to bring him in on a “prove it” deal. They should probably get another quarterback for insurance, but Richardson’s potential might be worth taking a gamble on.
Trey Lance
The Steelers won’t have a lot of options in free agency, but one interesting player to watch would be Trey Lance. He’s bounced around the league, looking for a permanent home and he could find that in Pittsburgh. Injuries plagued his tenure in San Francisco and he was never afforded a real shot in Dallas.
In LA, Lance is a true backup to Justin Herbert. Even when Herbert’s hurt, he still plays, so it’s not likely Lance get a chance to play. With his pending free agency, the Steelers might be able to turn Lance into an NFL starter again.
The trend I have for Pittsburgh is to rely on some younger players. This would allow them to focus less on short contracts for aging players and longer deals for players to grow and not just play one year at a time. Lance hasn’t had the best start to his career. But neither did Justin Fields or Sam Darnold and look at them now.
Lance isn’t the best option, but at some point the Steelers have to truly look at who they want as their future option rather than season rentals each year.
Malik Willis
This feels like the most realistic option. Malik Willis has proven he’s not just a good backup to Jordan Love in Green Bay but just might be ready to lead his own offense. Last year when he came in for relief for Love, he had 550 yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions in seven games. On the ground, he had 138 yards and a touchdown.
Willis is the most polished option the Steelers have. I think he would work out well with the Steelers too. This is something they have to consider, giving him a similar deal to Justin Fields. Maybe not $20 million per year, but I think Willis could warrant $10 to $15 million per year for three years, somewhere in that range.
Joe Milton III
This is a reach, but it just might work. One thing we can all agree on that any quarterback not named Dak Prescott is always on a short leash in Dallas. The Cowboys traded for Joe Milton III this offseason to back up Prescott after Cooper Rush landed in Baltimore. This doesn’t mean much other than the Cowboys traded for Milton to be Prescott’s backup replacement for Rush. Jerry Jones had a smoke screen out when he traded for Lance and it meant nothing.
Milton could be that or he could truly be a player the Cowboys decide to turn to when Prescott retires or if he misses a large chunk of the season again in the future due to injury. Milton had one good game in his rookie season and it stirred up a lot of hype this offseason. The Steelers might keep that in their back pocket for the 2026 offseason.