January 5, 2025, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA: New York Jets quarterback AARON RODGERS 8 is seen at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey New York defeats Miami 32 to 20 East Rutherford USA - ZUMAa301 20250105_aaf_a301_007 Copyright: xBrooksxVonxArxx

Jul 10, 2026, 4:12 PM CUT

Aaron Rodgers Could Be Benched For Will Howard, per Browns' Insider

Aaron Rodgers is set to play his final year in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran quarterback made his decision official during Pittsburgh's OTAs in May after much convincing. But after all that, could he be set to be QB2?

During an appearance on "The Bill Barnwell Show", ESPN's Mina Kimes made a bold prediction. According to her, the wind is definitely blowing in favor of young Steelers quarterback Will Howard.

"This is based on me doing a live pot in Pittsburgh, and we surveyed the crowd, and they were all begging for Will Howard," said Kimes, "No, this is a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers take."

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers walks off of the field after the game against the Miami Dolphins where he threw his 500th touchdown pass in his 20-year career in the final week of the NFL, American Football Herren, USA regular season at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, January 5, 2025. The Jets defeated the Dolphins 32- 20 and finish the season with 5 wins and 12 losses. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY NYP20250105116 JOHNxANGELILLO

Kimes' evaluation on NFL on ESPN does have some backing. As per Steelers Now, Will Howard is one of the most loved players in the entire NFL.

This study was done by Vegas Insider back in February this year. Howard was listed at No. 18 on that list even before big names like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Burrow, even when Howard had hardly taken a single snap.

For the record, the sixth-round 2025 pick is yet to play a regular-season game for the Steelers. Meanwhile, on the other end, you have the veteran Aaron Rodgers with his 264 career games. He has over 66,000 yards and over 500 TDs.

Furthermore, there is also the emotional aspect of this, being his last season on an extension for about $25 million.

Yet if the Steelers do fall short of living up to expectations, reinforcement in the form of Howard can surely be utilized.

ESPN analyst Kevin Clark has already seen some issues in Rodgers' game that make Howard's chances brighter this season.

ESPN analyst believes age is catching up to Aaron Rodgers

ESPN analyst Kevin Clark also expressed concern over the Steelers' future this year on the First Take podcast. More so about Aaron Rodgers' productivity heading into his final NFL season.

"I'm worried about the Pittsburgh Steelers," said Clark."When you look at Aaron Rodgers' numbers from last season—we're talking about one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever play the position, and he still has a lot of great qualities, but he threw the ball quicker and shorter than virtually anyone on record in football last year...I think it was an age stat. I think it was him being unable to move in the pocket the way he used to."

Clark's concern is based on Rodgers' production. He finished last season with 3,322 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. This earned him a 71.9 QB Impact Score from PFN, putting him 29th among all NFL quarterbacks.

Now that Rodgers is going to turn 43, and once again, enter as the oldest quarterback in the NFL, Clark may have a point.

That makes Will Howard's case even stronger than before. We still don't have a clear answer about who will start, but this makes matters interesting in the Pittsburgh camp.

Who would you like to see start as QB1 for the Steelers?

Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote