Pittsburgh keeps Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar while trading Broderick Jones and Kaleb Johnson at roster cuts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers actually did it.

Four quarterbacks.

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar all survived Pittsburgh’s initial roster cutdown, giving new head coach Mike McCarthy one of the NFL’s most unusual quarterback rooms entering the 2026 season. McCarthy had strongly hinted Pittsburgh could keep all four, and that’s exactly how the initial 53 shook out.

MORE: INDYCAR Milwaukee Chaos: Rain Creates a Wild Sunday Doubleheader

It’s unconventional, but it isn’t irrational.

Rodgers is the present. Rudolph provides an experienced backup capable of playing immediately. Howard and Allar represent two different shots at finding the future.

The cost is a roster spot that most NFL teams would use somewhere else.

Pittsburgh apparently decided losing one of its young quarterbacks was a bigger risk.

That wasn’t the only aggressive call.

The Steelers traded former first-round offensive tackle Broderick Jones to Dallas while receiving third- and sixth-round picks in the 2027 draft and sending a fourth-rounder back to the Cowboys. Pittsburgh also dealt running back Kaleb Johnson to Green Bay for a 2028 sixth-round selection.

That’s two recent premium draft investments gone in the same cutdown weekend.

Jones was the 14th overall selection in 2023 and made 38 starts in 45 games for Pittsburgh. Johnson was a third-round pick just one year ago.

Those aren’t routine end-of-roster transactions. They’re organizational resets.

Pittsburgh also released veteran linebackers Elandon Roberts and Malik Harrison, defensive linemen Dean Lowry and Esezi Otomewo and running back Travis Homer. Earlier waves of cuts included linebacker Jamin Davis and a collection of receivers, defensive backs and developmental players.

Meanwhile, safety DeShon Elliott and offensive lineman Jack Driscoll were placed on injured reserve with designations to return, and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was activated from the physically unable to perform list.

The result is a Steelers roster with a very different shape than the one that entered camp.

And nowhere is that more obvious than quarterback.

Pittsburgh isn’t merely trying to survive Rodgers’ final chapter. It’s trying to develop the next one simultaneously.

Howard gets another year to grow. Allar, the 76th overall selection in this year’s draft, doesn’t have to be rushed. Rudolph gives McCarthy insurance if Rodgers goes down.

MORE: Rangers Playoff Push Hits Crisis Point After Fourth Straight Loss

Four quarterbacks may look excessive on a 53-man roster.

But Pittsburgh clearly believes quarterback uncertainty is more dangerous than being a little thin somewhere else.

Now McCarthy has to make the math work.