As Mike McCarthy heads into this new role as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, there seems to be a major reason why he got the job, and one of them is due to Will Howard.
According to Art Rooney, McCarthy likes what he sees from Howard, which is interesting that Rooney pointed out.
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“He likes Will Howard, thinks Will has tremendous upside and is looking forward to working with him,” Rooney said, per the team. “Obviously feels like Mason can be a contributor. We’ll have to sit down and discuss where Aaron is, if he decides to come back, and whether that all makes sense.”
Interestingly enough, rather than pushing for an outside option, the new head coach appears willing to give the youngster a chance to win a job. The youngster was drafted by the Steelers last year and had an entire season sitting behind Aaron Rodgers, arguably a top five quarterback to ever lace them up.
“I think Mike was very comfortable with the quarterback room and the possibilities with the quarterback room,” he said. “In particular, the fact we have a young quarterback on the roster in whom he sees some upside.”
At the same time, the situation is far from over, as Howard is still likely the No. 3 option if Rodgers decides to return. Rooney spoke about Mason Rudolph as a possible option and added that he doesn’t know what Rodgers wants to do just yet.
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“We’ll have to sit down and discuss where Aaron is, if he decides to come back, and whether that all makes sense,” Rooney said.
The idea of a young QB coming in and running this offense might not be something fans want, or at least Howard being that guy, but he truly had some nice moments at Ohio State and might be something for all we know. McCarthy and Rodgers having the relationship they do will probably play a factor in this, if Rodgers continues to play, but that decision will likely take a few months.
If he decides to walk away from the game, the situation will get very interesting.