Steelers rookie QB Will Howard relishing being mentored by ‘legend’ Aaron Rodgers: ‘He’s been awesome to me’

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said upon his arrival at the team’s practice facility that he was eager to mentor rookie Will Howard, whom the franchise selected in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. The free agent signee made good on that goal early in the duo’s time together as teammates.

The 2025 season is a learning opportunity for Howard as he develops on the bench behind Rodgers, and the reigning national champion at Ohio State said he quickly picked up bits and pieces of knowledge in minicamp.

“I had an open seat next to me, and there came Aaron,” Howard said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I just thought it was pretty cool that he was willing to sit next to me. I remember even Day 1 he had a couple of things that we hadn’t really gone over yet … a couple of things he was asking me for clarification on. I’m like, ‘Holy s—, man. Aaron Rodgers is asking me questions right now, and I’m answering them. What is going on?'”

Rodgers signed with the Steelers just in advance of minicamp, joining his third team in the last four years. The 41-year-old veteran and four-time MVP garnered attention all offseason as he worked through a high-profile free agency period fraught with uncertainty. His arrival in Pittsburgh placed him in the same room as a young quarterback in Howard, not dissimilar to his situations in Green Bay with Jordan Love and in New York with Zach Wilson.

“He’s been so awesome to me so far,” said Howard. “Obviously we’ve only gotten to be together for about three days, but I got a really good feeling about him, about this whole QB room. I think we already in this past week meshed really well, hit it off. I think we got a good vibe, good group. Aaron has been so willing to help me. He’s like, ‘Literally, as much or as little as you want me to help you, I’ll be there.’

“He’s already given me tips, little things here and there in the meeting room, on the field, in my drops, different little things. Obviously I can’t do the things that he can do mechanically, so I don’t want to replicate that too much, because that’s pretty unique. But for the most part, everything I can learn from that guy is invaluable.”

Howard is the youngest and least experienced of the four quarterbacks in Pittsburgh. Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson round out the group as eight- and four-year veterans, respectively. Howard went 14-2 in his final year of college — his lone at Ohio State — and posted the best statistical season of his career, which began with four years at Kansas State.

“I’m just excited to watch him work and watch him go about his business and see and take notes on how he operates,” Howard said, “because he’s a legend.”