The Pittsburgh Steelers have started voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs) ahead of the 2026 NFL season, and this offseason is looking much different than any other in recent memory. A lot of the players remain the same, including Aaron Rodgers returning for a second season in Pittsburgh, which should give the Steelers the same Week 1 starting quarterback in consecutive seasons for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger retired. However, an entirely new coaching staff aims to bring new life to the team that Steeler Nation often questioned if they were stuck in neutral.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
While Rodgers coming back for his 22nd season gives the Steelers consistency on the offensive side of the ball, and his familiarity with new head coach Mike McCarthy is definitely a huge benefit, there are still questions about the Steelers' future at the quarterback position. Rodgers made it clear that he intends to retire at the end of the 2026 campaign, so all focus has now turned to either Will Howard or Drew Allar when evaluating the Steelers' future at the position.
Howard has been a fan favorite since he got drafted, but he was not a selection that this current coaching staff made. With Howard being only a sixth-round pick, it doesn't give him the firm standing for the future that a higher draft pick might command from a new staff. Allar however, was selected in the third round by this coaching staff and has significant upside in many people's eyes.
There have been several reports that Allar is being coached by McCarthy from the ground up, making sure all of his fundamentals are well established before throwing too much onto the rookie's plate. With that being said, Allar likely isn't going to impress in every rep throughout the early parts of the summer. Steelers insider Jim Wexell points to that fact, and gives advice to fans and media not to jump to judgement of the 22 year old.
"The way Allar looks right now, this is right now -- this is Drew Allar's first week on doing anything on the NFL level, and reconstructing his entire process," Wexell said. "So he deserves to be not commented on. Let's just give the kid a minute, he looks like he needs a minute."
It shouldn't surprise anyone that many fans and media members are going to be highly critical of Allar anytime they see him struggle. Allar was always viewed as a player who was going to need time to correct things in his game during the pre-draft process, and the Steelers knew that when they selected him with the 76th overall selection.
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Steelers QB Drew Allar looks on with a smile during rookie minicamp ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
Unfortunately for Allar, the Steelers are always a team that has significantly high expectations for all of its players, and almost to a fault refuse to take time to develop players in season if it might cost them some tallies in the win column. That means Allar is going to have to make significant progress in practice over the next 10 months or so to prove he can be the guy of the future.
Steelers' Faith In Will Howard Might Be The Best Thing For Drew Allar
While Allar is always going to put his best foot forward and do everything in his power to prove he can be the number two quarterback for the 2026 season, the Steelers' faith in Howard might be a blessing in disguise for Allar. It was reported that late in the 2025 season that the team believed Howard was proving he was becoming an NFL-ready quarterback, and that could mean the team could enter the 2027 offseason not looking to add a quarterback with goals of being the starter.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Will Howard in warmups of a regular season game against the Browns in the 2025 season.
If the Steelers coaches believe in Howard following in the 2026 season, and Allar has shown that he has developed enough to be considered for a starting role, the team might not look to add yet another quarterback during the 2027 NFL Draft, which is expected to be loaded at the position. The selection of Allar in the third round might already point to the Steelers not wanting to spend high draft capital on yet another potential franchise quarterback, but their supposed faith in Howard means they may be willing to give Allar more than one season to take over long-term.
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