After the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a heavy loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round, there was a lot of uncertainty around veteran Aaron Rodgers.

Well, it looks like he still hasn't answered the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that silence is becoming a problem. The San Francisco 49ers' Mac Jones is now a part of the conversation about the Steelers quarterback.

Moe Moton of Bleacher Report said that he could be a real option if Rodgers decides to retire.

"New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has a strong track record with quarterbacks, particularly in the early development of Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott in his prime," Moton wrote. "Could help Jones have a Sam Darnold-like career turnaround in Pittsburgh."

However, Jones isn't just a backup with potential.

In 2025, he threw 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and a 97.4 passer rating in all of his starts for San Francisco.

Add 57 career starts and 12,741 career passing yards to that. With Metcalf, Pittman Jr., and a reliable backfield, the pieces for a real turnaround are already in place.

San Francisco only has six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft right now, so they have a good reason to protect that asking price.

McCarthy helped make Aaron Rodgers a star in Green Bay and guided Dak Prescott's early growth in Dallas. Both quarterbacks improved under his system, even though they were very different.

That's why Moton thinks the Steelers could be the best place for Jones to get back to the level of play that made him a first-round pick.

Patrick Queen Gets Another Shot With The Steelers in 2026

The Steelers are still figuring out who their quarterback will be, but the rest of the team is coming together. One position that has already been decided is inside linebacker.

Patrick Queen isn't going anywhere. The Dallas Cowboys made a serious effort to get him during the legal tampering period, but Pittsburgh stood firm.

Queen's time with the Steelers has been decent so far. He got a Pro Bowl in 2024, leading the team with 129 tackles and wearing the "green dot" as the defensive play-caller.

Head coach Mike McCarthy, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and GM Omar Khan all said no to the Dallas trade. This made Queen's $2.5 million roster bonus for 2026 fully guaranteed.

But Queen knows what's at stake. This season is like an audition for his future in the Steelers since he is 26 and in his prime.

The Steelers will almost certainly move on in 2027 if Patrick Graham's new defensive system can't help him play better.

Read more at Quarter Back Central!

Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Kalp Thaker