Aside from hiring a new head coach, the next most important domino is to pair him with the right fit at quarterback.
Luckily for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers have well documented success alongside one another which peaked with a Super Bowl win in 2011. The pair will now be taking one last ride together this fall, after Rodgers shared that it will be his final season.
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But McCarthy not only has a positive outlook on reuniting with Rodgers, but on the quarterback room as a whole which he believes has four great options.
“We’ve definitely got four that we love, I can say that,” McCarthy said according to NFL.com. “You always have to develop the room. That’s always been the approach. We’re hoping that (general manager) Omar (Khan) can get the roster expanded to 55 and we can keep four. It’s a really good room. This is a good place to be, having four guys that can play.”
Behind Rodgers, who will be the starting quarterback, lies veteran backup Mason Rudolph, second-year quarterback Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar.
Rudolph is the most experienced of the bunch and proven to be a viable option to step in should Rodgers miss time with injury. Howard has not seen any action in the pros after winning a national championship at Ohio State and the franchise used a third round pick on Allar out of Penn State.
“Mason has a lot of experience,” McCarthy said. “We’re trying to develop Will and Drew as well as we can. Will is ahead of Drew, just based on the fact that he’s been here.”
Carrying four quarterbacks is irregular in the NFL, putting the Steelers in an unenviable position to decide which ones remain on the active roster and who to send to the practice squad or chopping block.
Regardless, McCarthy has several months to figure out the best road for the team to take.
Patrick Dowd is a contributor for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
