Every dynasty begins with a quarterback. The Pittsburgh Steelers know that better than most. From Terry Bradshaw to Ben Roethlisberger, Steel City has built its identity around the man under center. Now that the search is wide open, general manager Omar Khan isn’t just hunting names; he’s defining a standard.

“Like all the fans, we’re all searching for the next franchise player, the guy that’s going to be our quarterback for 10 to 15 years,” Khan said at the NFL Combine. “It might be Will [Howard], we don’t know. We’re excited to work with Will. We really liked him coming out last year.”

Will Howard, the sixth-round pick out of Ohio State, sits at the front of that line. A hand injury in training camp erased his entire rookie year before he played a single regular-season snap. The 24-year-old remains an unknown commodity. But Khan has seen enough to stay intrigued.

“We’ve watched the progression in practice, and it’s been exciting,” Khan continued. “I know the new coaching staff, specifically Coach [Mike] McCarthy, is excited to work with him.”

While there is a significant transition from college football to the NFL, Khan believes Howard has been working on improving all season. But when it comes to being the QB1, Khan wasn’t just defining a single person. He laid out the profile that Howard, or any other quarterback, would have to aspire to achieve.

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“I’ll say we have to find the right quarterback that’s going to be an AFC North Quarterback,” Khan outlined. “Playing in the AFC North, there’s nothing like it, the cold weather, the rivalries, the division, the physicality of the division.”

“It’s got to be an AFC North quarterback,” he concluded.

That’s the filter for the man under center in Pittsburgh. Not just talent or arm strength, but also the DNA to thrive where football hits hardest. Think Lamar Jackson commanding the Baltimore Ravens for nearly a decade. Omar Khan wants his own version, built to last fifteen years, not two.

Meanwhile, the organization is also mindful of the Jordan Love blueprint. Aaron Rodgers’ time with the Green Bay Packers saw him mentor Love into becoming their starting quarterback. Through the 2025 season, Rodgers did the same with Howard, and former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch believes that streak could continue.

“We don’t know if Aaron Rodgers is going to come back,” Batch said in a recent interview. “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.”

But finding that franchise signal-caller takes time, often years. For 2026, that seat still belongs to a 42-year-old quarterback with four Super Bowl rings, if he says yes.

The Aaron Rodgers deadline

Aaron Rodgers hasn’t committed to the Steelers for a 2026 return, but he hasn’t walked away either. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero set a hard timeline on the silence around his return.

“Aaron needs to make a decision sooner than later, and it probably comes right around the start of the league year, which is on March 11th,” Pelissero said in conversation with Rich Eisen recently.

That’s the free agency’s opening bell, and Pittsburgh’s moment of truth at the same time. Omar Khan, for one, has maintained that “the door is open” for Rodgers’ return. New head coach Mike McCarthy and Rodgers have already spoken multiple times. Their bond stretches back all the way to Green Bay, where McCarthy literally built Rodgers’ offensive foundation. That shared language runs deep, and it could tip the scales.

In any case, it won’t be like last season, when A-Rod waited until June to officially join the black and gold. This time, even the front office believes a conclusion will come sooner.

“I think the circumstances are a little different, but just conversations we had, I think neither side wants to have this drag on like it did last year,” Khan said at the Combine. “I spoke to him last week. Mike McCarthy has spoken to him. He knows how we feel, and I think we know how he feels about us.”

An early return would also help Aaron Rodgers. OTAs, training camp, and the whole offseason could help Rodgers bring out the best from this offense. But if he isn’t suiting up after all, McCarthy isn’t waiting passively. He’s already scripting dual playbooks in practice.

“If Aaron is here, we’ll run it this way,” McCarthy said about his offensive approach in a recent interview. “If it’s Will and the young guys, we’ll run it another way. Those are the kind of conversations you have, and it’s all about having a plan.”

Pittsburgh isn’t choosing between Rodgers and tomorrow; it’s carefully threading both at once. While Rodgers contemplates playing in 2026, Howard develops in the background, following the Jordan Love path that worked brilliantly in Green Bay. Now, just one decision from a 42-year-old shapes Steel City’s entire next chapter. But beyond that, Omar Khan’s long game has already started.