QB Ty Simpson Leaks Important Info On Exclusive Meeting With Steelers' Mike McCarthy

The Pittsburgh Steelers keep coming up in conversations about Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson as the 2026 NFL Draft hype heats up. It has been interesting to watch the discussion surrounding this QB class. Around this time last offseason, pundits were raving about how strong the 2026 QB class would be. As it turns out, it has been far from great and is arguably even weaker than the 2025 class that preceded it.

The Steelers will be making their first draft picks in nearly two decades without Mike Tomlin. With Tomlin’s departure after the 2025 season, Head Coach Mike McCarthy and General Manager Omar Khan are gearing up for a new chapter in the storied history of the franchise. Pittsburgh enters the draft with 12 picks, including five within the first 100 selections.

The team has a strong opportunity to find impact talent, but whether they target a quarterback remains uncertain. Talk is starting to heat up around the possibility of Pittsburgh drafting Simpson at 21st overall or possibly later if he falls. The challenge is that this QB class is so weak that teams in need of a quarterback may reach higher than necessary just to take a chance.

Simpson met with McCarthy recently and shared insights about the meeting via Chris Adamski of TribLive.

"It was really cool," Simpson said while chatting with reporters at the NFL Combine on Friday. "Because (he and Steelers Coach Mike McCarthy) we're just going back and forth. By the time that we were finished, it felt like (just) five minutes, just because of how much fun we had. So I love Coach McCarthy, love the Steelers, I love those guys, and I’m super excited to get to know them."

It sounds like Simpson really enjoyed his time speaking with the new Steelers head coach. Pittsburgh allowed 45 formal meetings at the combine and used one of theirs on Simpson, giving them 20 minutes to talk. Simpson used the word "love" several times and it sounds like he knows he has a real chance of being picked by Pittsburgh based on his conversation with McCarthy.

It will be interesting to watch because McCarthy likely has significant influence in his first season in charge. If he wants Simpson, you can bet the Steelers would make sure they have the opportunity to draft him. Of course the Aaron Rodgers situation will likely play a big factor in all of this as well.

Steelers' Mike McCarthy Grilled Ty Simpson At The Combine

The Steelers may have Rodgers back for the 2026 season or they may not. No one truly knows except Rodgers himself, but it does seem likely that he will return. Even so, Pittsburgh has Will Howard and Mason Rudolph on the roster. It seems unlikely they would draft Simpson, but if they do, McCarthy made sure to grill him with important questions during their meeting.

"Coach McCarthy’s the guy, man," Simpson said. "It was funny, we’d go in there, ask a couple questions, and we were just talking ball, going back and forth, talking about pass concepts, talking about protection, talking about situations… and then situations that’ve come up in his career that he asked me about what I thought about it. It was just two guys working ball, right? It was cool to just see us talk about footwork, like talk about four 'verts,' talk about situational football in two-minute [drills], bringing up scenarios that he’s had in his career to where they’re crucial. 'What would you do in that situation?'"

At the end of the day, the Steelers’ interest in Simpson highlights just how unpredictable this 2026 QB class has been. While Pittsburgh has options at quarterback and the future of Rodgers remains uncertain, Simpson’s meeting with McCarthy shows he is very much on the team’s radar. 

Please feel free to share your Steelers takes and thoughts with me on X (@anthonyghalkias) and consider following for more Steelers-related content and discussion. I read and respond. 

#SteelerNation