Fans and media make a constant mistake in football, we speculate on unknowns and try to predict plans months in advance. In reality, coaches, GMs, and teams have a much clearer picture than we ever do. The best way to gain clarity is by looking at the actions and decisions happening inside the building.
So what have the Steelers shown about Will Howard? Omar and Mike have publicly welcomed Aaron Rodgers and even recently offered him $15M, signaling Will likely isn’t planned as QB1 this season. They also drafted Drew Allar aggressively after strong pre-draft interest, suggesting some uncertainty about Will’s long-term potential.
Still Will has been given the current offseason starting role over Mason Rudolph, which matters more than people acknowledge. With a new offensive scheme and significant new offensive talent to develop, that decision isn’t meaningless and it plays a key role in developing the new system
So the question is would they give Will that role if Mason clearly offered more value right now, especially with Mccarthys first year with this team and offense on the line? It suggests Will has at least matched or possibly slightly surpassed Mason at this point.
This doesn’t mean Will is the future or a franchise QB. It just means he’s likely done enough to secure his spot over Mason for now. Beyond that, there’s no concrete evidence yet.