The Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2026.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do them yet again here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since the Steelers have historically started their interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are quarterbacks Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.

Will Howard

Position: Quarterback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 1
Contract Status: Signed through 2028
Contract Details: $1,067,025 salary cap hit for 2026. Would cost the Steelers $186,075 in dead money if released and save $880,950.
Games played in 2025: None
Games started in 2025: None
Snaps (regular season): None
PFF score: None
Notable stats: Howard did not appear in any games in the regular season or preseason.

Notes: It was really a shame that Will Howard broke his finger just head of the preseason and didn’t get a single game snap all year. For this reason, he will continue to be a mystery for Steelers fans as some have him pegged as much better than where he was drafted while others simply look at him as another sixth round pick that may or may not make the team. The bottom line is there’s no way to know at this point what the Steelers have in Will Howard, but hopefully he can be healthy in the 2026 preseason to show how far he has come after one year in the Steelers locker room.

Mason Rudolph

Position: Quarterback
Years with the Steelers: 5 (plus 2 years where he did not appear)
Years in the NFL: 6 (plus 2 years where he did not appear)
Contract Status: Signed through 2026
Contract Details: $4,622,500 salary cap hit for 2026. Would cost the Steelers $1,622,500 in dead money if released and save $3,000,000.
Games played in 2025: 5 regular season, 1 postseason
Games started in 2025: 1 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 113 (offense)
PFF score: 52.8 (DNQ for ranking)
Notable stats: Rudolph completed 38 passes on 52 attempts for 310 Yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and was sacked twice. Rudolph also rushed 7 times for 6 yards.

Notes: As many expected, Aaron Rodgers missed a start in 2025 where Mason Rudolph had to fill in. Coming in when Rodgers was injured against the Bengals, Rudolph stepped on the field for his first play only up one point to a team the Steelers had lost to earlier in the season. But, especially with the help of two defensive touchdowns, Rudolph led the team to a blowout where he only had two offensive possessions and they led to 10 points. Coming up just short the next week in Chicago to a quality Bears team, Rudolph did what he was supposed to do in providing quality play off the bench if needed. Whether or not the Steelers want to keep him for that role next season is TBD. With a new coaching staff, particularly a head coach who gushed over Will Howard, knowing exactly what the thoughts are on Rudolph going into 2026 is hard to figure out. But Rudolph is under contract with the Steelers for one more season.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Derrick Harmon & Cam Heyward
Kaleb Johnson & Kenneth Gainwell
Jack Sawyer & Alex Highsmith
Yahya Black & Esezi Otomewo