Aaron Rodgers future: Ranking Steelers’ top available QB options if four-time NFL MVP doesn’t join Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to sign one more quarterback before they open training camp a little over two months from now. The expectation continues to be that that spot will ultimately be filled by unsigned four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers, who recently acknowledged the possibility of joining the Steelers. 

Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, also said at that time he is “open to everything and not specifically attached to anything” when it comes to his future. That probably wasn’t exactly what the Steelers wanted to hear, although team president Art Rooney II said during the draft that he anticipated getting an answer from Rodgers “soon” so that he could take part in some of the team’s offseason voluntary workouts if he does decide to come to Pittsburgh for the 2025 season. 

At this point, though, it’s fair to wonder whether or not Rodgers will actually sign with Pittsburgh. Rodgers, after all, did speak with the Vikings earlier this offseason, and he could decide to sit back and wait to see what unfolds there as Minnesota is going to start this season by giving 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy the opportunity to be its new QB1. 

The Steelers have a contingency plan if Rodgers doesn’t pan out. If he doesn’t sign, the job would likely go to Mason Rudolph, a 2018 third-round pick who was re-signed by the team this offseason after spending the 2024 season with the Titans. The team’s two other quarterbacks at this point are rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard and Skylar Thompson, a 2022 seventh-round pick who started four NFL games (three regular season, one postseason) during his three years with the Dolphins. 

With Rudolph on deck, the Steelers won’t necessarily be in the market to find another possible QB1 option if Rodgers isn’t signed. Sure, Pittsburgh would likely explore all of its options if Rodgers isn’t part of the plans, but the best bet is that the Steelers will fill their last remaining QB spot on a veteran who can bring experience to the room. 

With that in mind, here are my top five available quarterback options for the Steelers if Rodgers ultimately leaves them in the lurch. 

Upside stands as the main reason why Rypien was chosen over fellow veterans Jeff Driskel, C.J. Beathard and Jeff Driskel. While he hasn’t done a lot in the NFL to this point, Rypien is still relatively young (he’ll turn 29 in July) and has shown flashes of his potential. 

Last preseason, as a member of the Bears, Rypien went 24 of 34 (a 70.6% completion percentage) with three touchdowns and zero interceptions over four games. He also has four regular-season starts under his belt, posting a 2-2 record. 

With the Steelers, Rypien (whose uncle, Mark Rypien, quarterbacked Washington to its most recent Super Bowl victory) would likely start the preseason as the team’s fourth quarterback on the depth chart. If nothing else, he could serve as an adequate training camp arm. However, given his potential and experience (he’s played on six teams), Rypien could possibly challenge Thompson for a spot on the 53-man roster. 

A former Pro Bowler, Bridgewater briefly came out of retirement last season to serve as a backup quarterback for the Lions. If Bridgwater (who quickly enjoyed success in retirement as a high school coach) has a desire to continue playing, the Steelers should look into this as an option if Rodgers doesn’t sign. 

Outside of Rodgers, Bridgewater is the most accomplished quarterback currently available. Still just 32 years old, Bridgewater has a wealth of experience with 66 career starts under his belt. He’s very accurate with a 66.2 career completion percentage, and is excellent when it comes to taking care of the ball. 

In addition to being a quality backup, Bridgewater’s leadership would be a much-welcomed addition to the Steelers’ quarterback room. 

Ridder makes sense for several reasons. First, Ridder is very familiar with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after having played for Smith when he was the Falcons head coach. Ridder, drafted by Smith in the third round of the 2022 draft, received four starts as a rookie before making 15 starts with Atlanta during the 2023 season. 

While he had some success, Ridder’s struggles led to him getting temporarily benched by Smith midway through the 2023 season. Ridder and Smith both left Atlanta after that season; Smith resurfaced in Pittsburgh while Ridder made one start as a member of the Raiders. 

Ridder’s deep passes don’t cause cornerbacks to lose sleep at night, but he is accurate enough as a passer. He is also a threat to make plays on the ground. 

It’s safe to assume that Ridder could make some hay when it comes to competing for a roster spot, given his skill set and experience running Smith’s offense. 

We all know Wentz’s story at this point. A former Pro Bowler with the Eagles, Wentz’s career took a major turn following his knee injury late in the 2017 regular season. While his career probably hasn’t gone the way that he had hoped it would in the years following his injury, Wentz has still managed to carve out a relatively successful nine-year career that included a trip to the Super Bowl last year as Patrick Mahomes‘ backup in Kansas City. 

His days as a starter might be behind him, but it appears that the now-32-year-old Wentz has settled into the next phase of his career as a reliable backup. Wentz’s experience (he has 95 career starts under his belt), solid career numbers (that includes 153 touchdowns against just 67 picks) and professionalism should make him an attractive option for Pittsburgh if Rodgers doesn’t sign. 

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Believe it or not, Huntley has one more career Pro Bowl nod than fellow former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Huntley received that honor while replacing an injured Lamar Jackson during the final month of the 2022 season. Huntley, who had actually replaced Jackson for the same period of time at the end of the 2021 season, helped Baltimore secure a playoff berth in 2022 and played well in the team’s loss to the Bengals in the wild-card round. 

Huntley, 27, is a former undrafted rookie who spent four years as Jackson’s understudy before making a career-high five starts last season for the Dolphins. He went 3-3 as Miami’s starter while completing an impressive 64.7% of his passes. 

Huntley has made 15 starts in his NFL career. In those games, he displayed an ability to make big plays both through the air and on the ground. He also largely kept his teams in contention. His biggest issue, however, is taking care of the ball. Huntley has nearly as many career interceptions (11) as he has touchdown passes (13), and one of his 15 career fumbles was returned for a season-ending touchdown near the end of Baltimore’s playoff loss to Cincinnati back in 2022. 

While there are still parts of his game that need refining, Huntley would nonetheless be a very viable option for the Steelers if Rodgers decides to spend the 2025 season doing something else with his time.