The Steelers are still waiting to hear from Aaron Rodgers, they took a quarterback in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and those two things aren’t connected, they promise.
“I don’t believe that [drafting Drew Allar] has any impact on Aaron,” Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth told reporters Friday.
“Certainly we’re here for Drew and excited about his moment and excited to have him in the room.”
Allar was drafted 76th overall in front of a roaring Pittsburgh crowd Friday night. He won’t have to move far, having played college ball just down the road in State College, Penn.
“It was just a lot of anticipation kind of throughout the day and in the last couple of weeks, honestly, but very excited for the opportunity I have to be a Pittsburgh Steeler,” Allar told reporters.
“It’s definitely a dream come true to play for such a great organization and fulfill my dream of having the opportunity to play in the NFL.”
The neat story of it all aside, where Allar lands on the Steelers’ depth chart is a real question.
Going into the draft, with Rodgers’ status yet to be determined, Will Howard was slated to be their top quarterback at minicamp.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Monday that the Steelers didn’t expect to hear from Rodgers before the draft. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer played for Pittsburgh on a one-year, $13.25 million deal last season and is now a free agent.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in late March that he expected a decision from Rodgers before the draft, which obviously did not come to fruition.
Ideally, Pelissero reported, the Steelers would hear from Rodgers before OTAs start in mid-May.
At a minimum, though, Allar looks like the next person in line to start if Rodgers opts for retirement.
“He has rare size,” Arth said. “He’s 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. He has big hands. And I think what’s most exciting, certainly when you’re talking about the quarterback position, this guy can throw the football. And I think he throws it as well as any quarterback in this draft class.
“He has an effortless arm. He can make every single throw on the field. And he’s a better athlete than I think given credit for. … His intelligence as a football player and his arm talent and all those things. I think he has a very high ceiling. I don’tthink he has reached his potential yet as a player.”
