While Aaron Rodgers isn’t his teammate yet, Will Howard got the opportunity to speak with a potential Hall of Fame quarterback after the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him.
Will recently shared that he has had frequent conversations with former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger since Pittsburgh selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, Howard’s first week as a Steeler included an appearance on Roethlisberger’s podcast along with fellow Steelers rookie and former Ohio State teammate Jack Sawyer.
“We actually have the same agent, so we got connected through that,” Howard revealed on Up & Adams.
“Will has been very good. He’s been incredibly supportive of me throughout this entire process. He has been quite helpful to me throughout my time as a Steeler and in getting to know him. He texted me last week to check in, and he has been a great mentor. I can see him being a terrific mentor for me in the future. He’s been quite courteous to me thus far.”
Aside from playing the same position, Roethlisberger and Howard share many similarities. Both grew up enjoying and playing basketball before deciding that football was their best chance of becoming a professional athlete.
Despite successful high school careers, neither quarterback was seriously pursued by the big in-state school.
Roethlisberger, after being lightly recruited by Ohio State, ultimately went to and starred at Miami University before being taken by the Steelers with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft. Howard dreamed of playing at Penn State (his dad’s alma mater and where his sister currently attends), but he ultimately chose Kansas State over Kansas (his only two legitimate offers) after Penn State went MIA after Howard suffered an injury during his junior year.
Howard had a solid career at Kansas State, but things really took off for him during his last year of college at Ohio State. After losing to Michigan at the end of the regular season, Howard and his teammates participated in the College Football Playoffs. Howard completed 75.2% of his passes in four straight wins, including a national championship, with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.
After leading the Buckeyes to a national title, Howard hopes to make the most of his opportunity with the Steelers while following in Roethlisberger’s footsteps.
“Growing up for me, watching Pittsburgh, it was Big Ben,” Howard stated. “Big Ben was that guy. He was Pittsburgh. He was the Steel City, the blue collar, the gritty guy. And I want to be that too. want to bring that edge, that energy. think I did a pretty good job of it Ohio State. I like to kind of pride myself on that, and I’m going to try and bring it to the Steel City.”