Will Howard

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Will Howard's four-year, $4.4M deal with Pittsburgh earns a C+ CVI — a fair market contract for a developmental quarterback with limited NFL experience. At $1.1M annually with minimal guaranteed money ($0.2M), the Steelers secured a low-risk flyer on a player who showed flashes of potential during his college career but remains an unknown commodity at the professional level. The contract structure heavily favors Pittsburgh, offering them an extended evaluation period without significant financial commitment while giving Howard time to develop behind established quarterbacks. This type of deal represents standard practice for late-round or undrafted signal-callers, where teams prioritize upside over proven production. The Steelers essentially bought themselves a lottery ticket — if Howard develops into a viable backup or surprise starter, this becomes tremendous value, but if he flames out, they can move on with negligible financial impact.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Will's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Will Howard is a replacement-level quarterback at this stage of his NFL career, a sixth-round pick out of the 2025 draft who is still very much in the process of earning a roster spot rather than commanding one. His rookie scale contract at $1.1M AAV reflects exactly how the organization values him right now — as a developmental arm being given a chance to prove himself, not a franchise cornerstone being handed the keys. With no established statistical record to evaluate at the professional level, there is no compelling evidence yet to push his grade above where it sits, and the quarterback competition reportedly involving multiple signal-callers ahead of the 2026 regular season only reinforces that his standing is genuinely unsettled. The media framing around Howard is appropriately cautious — he occupies the neutral territory that mid-tier developmental prospects tend to inhabit when they have not yet logged meaningful NFL snaps, and the Steelers have not made any financial or public commitment suggesting he is a centerpiece of their plans. At 24 years old and entering what amounts to his first real shot at meaningful professional exposure, the 2026 season is legitimately pivotal for him — either he seizes competitive opportunities and builds a professional reputation, or he risks settling into a long-term backup role. With Pittsburgh currently sitting as a playoff seed 135 days out from the regular season opener, the organization has real incentives to settle the quarterback question quickly, which cuts both ways for a player still fighting for credibility.

How Will Compares at the Position

Will Howard ranks 93rd of 106 graded quarterbacks by performance. That slots Will between Trevor Siemian (D) just ahead and Bailey Zappe (D-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Will Howard's public perception sits firmly in negative territory heading into 2026, a sentiment grade of D that reflects the near-total absence of buzz surrounding a sixth-round pick still searching for an NFL identity. The dominant media narrative isn't hostile — it's indifferent, which may actually be harder to overcome at the quarterback position, where perception and opportunity are deeply intertwined; his $1.1M rookie scale contract signals to the broader football media that Pittsburgh views him as a developmental piece rather than a genuine solution under center. That cautious indifference maps cleanly onto his on-field production grade, which rates as below the floor of even replacement-level consideration, leaving Howard with essentially no performance-based capital to shift the conversation in his favor. The recent noise that does exist is a mixed bag — a Steelers legend publicly backing Howard over an internal competitor is the kind of endorsement that briefly moves the needle, but a headline questioning whether his NFL future is in doubt the same week undercuts any momentum that might build. Pittsburgh's offseason activity has been focused on adding depth at skill positions and elsewhere on the roster rather than making any loud statement of confidence at the quarterback spot, which does nothing to quiet the perception vacuum Howard is trapped in. The narrative right now is quiet skepticism verging on resignation — not the furious debate of a boom-or-bust prospect, but the polite indifference reserved for players the league has not yet decided to care about. The 2026 regular season, still months away, is genuinely make-or-break for whether Howard escapes quarterback purgatory or becomes a footnote.