Steelers could cut ties with veteran quarterback who would be the perfect Drake Maye backup for Patriots

Steelers could cut ties with veteran quarterback who would be the perfect Drake Maye backup for Patriots originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Pittsburgh Steelers have their starting quarterback back for the 2026 season, as Aaron Rodgers finally re-signed with the team on a one-year deal.

With Rodgers back in the fold, the Steelers now have four quarterbacks on their active roster heading into the summer. Mason Rudolph, 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, and 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar are the other signal-callers for Pittsburgh behind Rodgers. The Steelers aren't going to keep four quarterbacks on the roster after training camp, meaning someone in the position group has to be expendable.

Rudolph named Steelers cut candidate As a result of the crowded quarterback room in Pittsburgh, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton listed Rudolph as a potential cut candidate. "Rudolph is an established veteran, but if the Steelers have little concern about Rodgers' durability, even at his age, Howard and Allar could be his young understudies," Moton wrote. Rudolph does feel like the odd man out in the Steelers' quarterback group.

Pittsburgh isn't going to cut a third-round rookie in Allar without seeing him in sizeable game action, and Howard's potential and rapport with Rodgers also gives him a strong roster case. Though Rudolph does have experience and has spent most of his career in Pittsburgh, I would bet on the Steelers taking the youth of Howard and Allar over him. Patriots would be ideal landing spot for Rudolph If the Steelers cut Rudolph, the New England Patriots make a ton of sense for the Oklahoma State product.