Once again, quarterback is a hot topic for the Steelers the week of the NFL Draft. Aaron Rodgers is still deciding whether or not he wants to play. Meanwhile, the chances of having two young quarterbacks on the roster in 2026 are becoming more and more likely.
The Steelers have met with several quarterbacks in this year's draft class, which was initially supposed to be robust with franchise-caliber options. However, many of those options have dwindled to be risky in their own unique ways. Yet, the front office and coaching staff have still done their due diligence. They met formally with Alabama's Ty Simpson, Penn State's Drew Allar and Miami (FL)'s Carson Beck during the NFL Scouting Combine. Then they followed up with both Allar and Beck by bringing both in for pre-draft visits. The Steelers hosted North Dakota State's Cole Payton and Arkansas' Taylen Green for pre-draft visits, as well.
As Omar Khan, McCarthy and the collective of the front office navigate the draft, there's a strong possibility another young quarterback will join the fold:
"I think consistently that I've seen over the years is in every draft class, particularly with quarterbacks, kind of (narrows down) at this time, and I know it has for me, personally," McCarthy said during the team's pre-draft press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "I think you got to decide, really, what do you want? What do you believe in? What's the direction of your offense? I, as a quarterback coach, would like to work with any of these guys. I feel that way. I believe in starting lines, floors and ceilings and things like that. ... I think it's, really, you gotta decide what you want, and I think this class has that. It's not the biggest class that I've seen, but I think you just got to decide what you're looking for. And there's guys here for that."
Rodgers remains the elephant in the room regarding the team's direction at quarterback for 2026. Rodgers has yet to give the Steelers an answer on whether or not he's playing this season. However, Khan maintains that he won't impact their draft strategy.
"We still evaluate it. It doesn't change our evaluation process," Khan said. "We still put the guys up where they need to be. We'll see how it shakes out."
The real questions remaining are how much they like each quarterback. Is Simpson a legitimate option for them in the first round? How early would they take a chance on Beck or Allar? And if/when they draft a quarterback, how does that impact Will Howard's standing, or for that matter, what's Mason Rudolph's future look like?
This is what it looks like when a team is in purgatory between franchise quarterbacks. Last time, the gap between Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger spanned decades. It often takes multiple swings on younger arms. And by the time the draft concludes, Rodgers or not, there's a strong chance 2026 includes a big step forward in trying to develop the next franchise quarterback.
THE ASYLUM
Rodgers or not, quarterback's a draft focus
Once again, quarterback is a hot topic for the Steelers the week of the NFL Draft. Aaron Rodgers is still deciding whether or not he wants to play. Meanwhile, the chances of having two young quarterbacks on the roster in 2026 are becoming more and more likely.
The Steelers have met with several quarterbacks in this year's draft class, which was initially supposed to be robust with franchise-caliber options. However, many of those options have dwindled to be risky in their own unique ways. Yet, the front office and coaching staff have still done their due diligence. They met formally with Alabama's Ty Simpson, Penn State's Drew Allar and Miami (FL)'s Carson Beck during the NFL Scouting Combine. Then they followed up with both Allar and Beck by bringing both in for pre-draft visits. The Steelers hosted North Dakota State's Cole Payton and Arkansas' Taylen Green for pre-draft visits, as well.
As Omar Khan, McCarthy and the collective of the front office navigate the draft, there's a strong possibility another young quarterback will join the fold:
"I think consistently that I've seen over the years is in every draft class, particularly with quarterbacks, kind of (narrows down) at this time, and I know it has for me, personally," McCarthy said during the team's pre-draft press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "I think you got to decide, really, what do you want? What do you believe in? What's the direction of your offense? I, as a quarterback coach, would like to work with any of these guys. I feel that way. I believe in starting lines, floors and ceilings and things like that. ... I think it's, really, you gotta decide what you want, and I think this class has that. It's not the biggest class that I've seen, but I think you just got to decide what you're looking for. And there's guys here for that."
Rodgers remains the elephant in the room regarding the team's direction at quarterback for 2026. Rodgers has yet to give the Steelers an answer on whether or not he's playing this season. However, Khan maintains that he won't impact their draft strategy.
"We still evaluate it. It doesn't change our evaluation process," Khan said. "We still put the guys up where they need to be. We'll see how it shakes out."
The real questions remaining are how much they like each quarterback. Is Simpson a legitimate option for them in the first round? How early would they take a chance on Beck or Allar? And if/when they draft a quarterback, how does that impact Will Howard's standing, or for that matter, what's Mason Rudolph's future look like?
This is what it looks like when a team is in purgatory between franchise quarterbacks. Last time, the gap between Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger spanned decades. It often takes multiple swings on younger arms. And by the time the draft concludes, Rodgers or not, there's a strong chance 2026 includes a big step forward in trying to develop the next franchise quarterback.
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