The Pittsburgh Steelers will more than likely sign Aaron Rodgers in the coming weeks, assuming he wants to play football after all. Rodgers has held Pittsburgh hostage all offseason long, and given them little choice but to wait. The Steelers signed Mason Rudolph, a career backup and former Pittsburgh QB, and drafted Will Howard in the sixth round to fill out their depth chart. There is a gaping hole at QB1, which the Steelers intend to fill with Rodgers. However, one veteran could face some consequences when Rodgers is signed.
While Rudolph's spot on the roster seems secure, the same cannot be said about Howard and Skylar Thompson. Howard has said all the right things about playing alongside Rodgers and learning from him. It's exactly what Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith will want to hear from a sixth-round draft choice whose spot on the roster is far from guaranteed, but seemingly assured if he makes some strides in training camp.
"I don't know what's going to happen," Howard said. "That's all over my head. But I'd love to be in a room and learn from him. Again, who knows what's going to happen. I have no idea and that's above my head."
Steelers signing Aaron Rodgers would mean the end for Skylar Thompson
Howard has painted himself as the next Ben Roethlisberger, leaning into comparisons between the two players. Roethlisberger and Howard gained notoriety in Ohio, and have similar draft profiles. However, there's a reason Howard went on Day 3, while Roethlisberger was a surefire first-round selection.
Still, the Howard hype train has left the station, which gives him a leg up over his former Kansas State teammate Thompson. The Steelers brought in Thompson as veteran depth – consider it a break-in-case-of-emergency option. If Rodgers signs with the Steelers, they have little reason to keep Thompson even in a practice squad role. NFL teams tend to keep two quarterbacks on the active roster, and those would go to Rodgers and Rudolph. Howard, assuming he shows some promise in training camp and the preseason, would be a practice squad quarterback.
That leaves Thompson as the odd man out. That being said, Thompson does have starting experience in the NFL, which is a valued commodity for any backup quarterback. Thompson may not have a job past training camp in the Steel City, but one of the 31 other NFL teams ought to take a chance on him as a practice squad addition.