The Pittsburgh Steelers upset a lot of fans when making the decision to initially hire Mike McCarthy as the team's next head coach after it was announced that Mike Tomlin would be stepping down. The fan base mostly wanted the Steelers to go after one of the younger head-coaching candidates that stem from one of the premier coaching trees in the league, but the organization opted to go in a different direction by hiring a seasoned head coach. This broke a lot of trends for the franchise as the Steelers typically hired defensive-minded coaches who were on the younger side, and looking for their first head-coaching job.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy stands on the field and looks off into the distance as he watches players take part in rookie minicamp during a workout in Pittsburgh, PA.
McCarthy is 62 years old, offensive-minded, and this is his third time being a head coach in the NFL. All three of those trends were broken with this hire. Fans were pleased that the organization finally put an emphasis on the offensive side of the ball, but a younger candidate was desired. One of the reasons that the Steelers landed on McCarthy was because of his history when it comes to working with and developing quarterbacks, which is an area the franchise needed some help. He has worked with many notable names at the position, including Aaron Rodgers, and now he gets to work with Will Howard and Drew Allar as they continue to develop.
Beat writer Mark Kaboly joined 93.7 The Fan on Monday morning where he spoke about how the quarterback situation looked. He discussed the rookie, and he noted that it seems like he is developing positively.
"He actually made a couple really nice throws last week too," Kaboly said of Allar. "It's like, yeah, ok, maybe he's, not figuring stuff out, but maybe he's getting better. Like I said, I don't think they were really worried about him. He got a lot of those rookie minicamp reps, he had to get 70-80 reps in two days. The feeling with him for me is it's a redshirt year."
When Allar first reported to the team after getting drafted, it was made clear that McCarthy and his staff would be tearing down his mechanics and building him back up again. That is a process that is going to take quite some time, but it seems to be working already as Kaboly has noted some improvements from the young quarterback.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Drew Allar walks out on stage during the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
It was clear during his time at Penn State that Allar had all of the physical tools that were necessary to be a successful quarterback, but in the NFL, it takes more than relying on physical attributes. That is where McCarthy comes in as he worked closely with Allar, and that should continue throughout his rookie year.
McCarthy will also be working with Howard, and he has a better chance to play during the 2026 season as he is currently competing for the backup role. Once 2027 rolls around, the starting job will be up for grabs, and Allar and Howard should be duking it out for the gig.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike McCarthy coaches up quarterback Drew Allar during rookie minicamp in 2026.
Steelers' Drew Allar Needs To Be Proactive Once The Regular Season Rolls Around
Fans are excited to see what Allar can develop into, but he probably won't see the field in 2026. He will likely barely get reps during practices, and once the regular season begins, the coaching staff is worried about winning games, not taking time to develop a rookie. Allar will have to be on his toes and learn from what is going on around him. He has great resources to do so with McCarthy being his head coach, and being in the same room as Rodgers throughout the year. Once the season beings, he won't be a primary focus, and he is going to have to get better mostly on his own.
What do you think about this report from Kaboly? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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