As veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers eyes a return for another season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he may not just lead the offense. Given his experience and accomplishments, the Steelers would be remiss not to maximize the expertise Rodgers can provide. Former Pittsburgh QB, Charlie Batch, recently opened up about A-Rod’s possible new role next season while talking with talkSPORT USA.

“We don’t know if Aaron Rodgers is going to come back, ” said Charlie with uncertainty. “If he does ultimately, he’s going to help Will Howard in learning this system and then being able to now pass it off to him, and hopefully he is the quarterback of the future for the next 10 years.”

Howard became part of the Steelers roster in 2025 when he was picked in the sixth round. Therefore, he already spent his first season closely observing the ten-time Pro Bowler. Last season, Rodgers was the QB1, while Mason Rudolph was his backup, and Howard stood third in line.

The 24-year-old spent the majority of the rookie season recovering from a hand injury, which he suffered during training camp. When he returned as an active member of the roster in November, he didn’t get the opportunity to play any regular-season games. Despite spending a year with the black and gold, he has yet to make his NFL debut.

On the other hand, Rodgers has a track record of mentoring young quarterbacks. For example, during his tenure with the Green Bay Packers, he spent three seasons with Jordan Love. During their time together, Love learned from the veteran’s experience and leadership, and the two shared a positive relationship. Today, Jordan is the starting quarterback for the Packers.

With Howard likely to spend another season watching the Rodgers, he could follow a similar developmental path to Jordan Love. The Steelers would hope he becomes a long-term and reliable quarterback option.

While many football fans are thrilled to see the 42-year-old in action once again, there has been chatter about the franchise relying excessively on the Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Steelers’ heavy reliance on Aaron Rodgers draws growing criticism

Spending 21 seasons at the highest level, Rodgers has built a legacy that few will ever come close to matching in terms of longevity or quality. However, his production in the past few seasons hasn’t been up to his usual standard.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently took a jab at the Steelers for giving an overwhelming level of focus on the QB, who will probably call it a day after the next season.

“Rodgers’ value goes down as he continues to step onto the field, with the future Hall of Famer offering virtually no ceiling for a Steelers team that remains desperate to make the playoffs and entirely incurious about what it would be like to go any further,” Barnwell wrote sarcastically. “For these Steelers, the mid-40s version of Rodgers is the perfect quarterback.”

At present, the Steelers QB1 is indeed a shadow of his former self. In his first season with the Steelers, he showed flashes of his prime, but failed to maintain consistency, which could be a recurring issue next season, considering he is 42. He recorded 3322 passing yards and failed to rank among the top-ten QBs in the league. With 24 touchdowns, he was 13th in the league.

As Rodgers slows down with age, other elements of his game are on the decline. Nevertheless, the Steelers have a strong foundation. With a program that has thrived on consistency, newly appointed head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t walking into a locker room that hasn’t yielded results. While Pittsburgh failed to make a deep playoff run last season, the elements of a successful team are present. Given Rodgers’ past success with McCarthy at Green Bay, it will be interesting to see if they can recreate that old magic and make a run for the Lombardi trophy next season.