Steelers Rookie QB Drew Allar Hears Powerful Words From Jerome Bettis Regarding Rare Opportunity

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in one of the more intriguing quarterback situations in the NFL, balancing a veteran starter, two developmental prospects, Mason Rudolph, and a looming long-term transition at the position. After using a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Drew Allar out of Penn State, Mike McCarthy added another young arm to a room that already includes 2025 sixth-round selection Will Howard. 

At one point in his college career, Allar was viewed as a potential generational talent and a surefire top-10 pick. However, his decision to return to school proved costly. A regression in performance, paired with a season-ending injury and several high-profile struggles in key moments, caused his draft stock to slide into Day 2.

Howard has quietly generated internal optimism since arriving in Pittsburgh under the previous regime. Still, both quarterbacks enter the league as long-term projects rather than immediate answers, each facing a steep climb before earning legitimate consideration as future NFL starters.

In the meantime, the Steelers remain in win-now mode with Aaron Rodgers under center for the 2026 season, mirroring his role from the year prior. Rodgers has already indicated that 2026 will be his final NFL season, setting a clear endpoint to Pittsburgh’s short-term stability at quarterback.

That reality leaves the organization staring at a critical transition period, where the next era under center will need to be defined quickly and correctly once the veteran chapter closes. It is within that context that former Steelers legend Jerome Bettis told DJ Siddiqi of The Action Network just how rare and valuable this opportunity is for a young quarterback like Allar in Pittsburgh.

"Well, hopefully he can pick up a whole lot," Bettis said. "When you have a Hall of Fame player at your position in the building, you should soak up everything you can, right? Hopefully that happens, and Drew sees it, understands it, and utilizes it. Because that's a rare opportunity to have a player of that stature and ability in the building, so hopefully that helps springboard him to a great career as well."

That was the big and exciting storyline heading into the 2025 season as well with Rodgers, though at the time it was centered around Howard. 

Now, both Howard and Allar get to take advantage of a rare chance to be mentored by a four-time league MVP and one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Bettis does not want that to be underestimated and made it clear how fortunate Allar is in this situation.

"You look at him, he's a dynamic football player," Bettis said. "He's made some bad decisions in his day, and I think that's what you gotta clean up. But you look at the physical traits and ability, it's there. You look at him at the end of his junior year, there was talk about him being a top 10-15 pick. He decided to come back, and it didn't work out the way he wanted to, and got injured, and his stock fell, but it doesn't change that his ability is still there. His capabilities are there. I think he's a really good quarterback that just needs to learn the NFL game, and you can't ask for a better teacher than Aaron Rodgers."

For the Steelers, the quarterback future remains uncertain, but the present offers something invaluable. That, of course, is time.

Steelers May Have Their Future At QB Already Figured Out

With Rodgers guiding the room in what is expected to be his final NFL season, both Allar and Howard are positioned to learn without the immediate pressure of being forced into action.

If either young quarterback can absorb that experience and develop steadily, Pittsburgh could finally find a long-term answer once the veteran era comes to an end.

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