Steelers' Quarterback Room Receives Brutal Verdict That Will Leave Every Fan Speechless

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most fascinating quarterback rooms in the entire NFL heading into the 2026 season, and the conversation surrounding it has been constant. With Aaron Rodgers leading the way in what he has confirmed will be his final NFL season, the eyes of Steelers fans everywhere have been fixed on what comes next. Who is the future at QB? Who is the guy that carries this franchise into the post-Rodgers era? 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer and Locked On Steelers host Chris Carter has been studying this situation closely all offseason, and his honest take on what he sees is one that is going to generate serious conversation among the fan base.

During a recent episode of the Locked On Steelers podcast, Carter broke down new head coach Mike McCarthy's quarterback school and what it means for the young quarterbacks on the roster. After laying out the opportunity in front of both Drew Allar and Will Howard, Carter pulled no punches when it came to where he genuinely believes both players are headed in their NFL careers.

"I'm still a person who believes that both of these guys are just future backup quarterbacks for the Steelers and that the next franchise quarterback is still out there that the Steelers have to draft," Carter explained when referring to Howard and Allar.

That is a cold hard take from someone who covers this team every single day. Carter is not a pessimist and he is not someone who enjoys taking shots at young players. He is a beat writer who watches every rep, reads every report, and talks to people inside the building on a regular basis. When someone with that level of access and investment in this team looks at the quarterback room and says both Allar and Howard are headed toward backup roles, it is worth taking seriously. 

As SteelerNation previously covered, the Steelers have already received alarming news about the challenges of finding their franchise quarterback in the 2027 draft class, which makes Carter's take land even harder. If neither Allar nor Howard can develop into a starter and the 2027 draft class is more difficult to navigate than expected, Pittsburgh could find itself back in the same quarterback purgatory it has been stuck in since Ben Roethlisberger retired.

Steelers' Quarterback Future Remains The Biggest Unanswered Question

Carter argues that the best thing that could happen to Allar and Howard right now is for them to sit, learn, and develop under Rodgers and McCarthy, without being thrown into the fire before they are ready. He pointed to Rodgers himself as the blueprint, noting that the four-time MVP sat behind Brett Favre for three full seasons before taking over and immediately becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The difference is that Rodgers was a first-round pick with generational talent, whereas both Allar and Howard were selected much later in the draft. Carter's point is not that these young quarterbacks cannot play. It is that expecting either of them to be the long-term answer is setting the fan base up for disappointment when the more realistic outcome is that McCarthy and Omar Khan will need to go back to the draft and find their guy.

Training camp in Latrobe is going to be the first real opportunity to see whether Carter is right or wrong. The pads come on, the preseason games follow, and suddenly we will have real live NFL action to evaluate both young quarterbacks. Maybe one of them steps up and changes the entire conversation. Maybe Carter's take ages poorly and Steelers fans are laughing about it by Week 8 of the regular season. Or maybe he is exactly right and Pittsburgh is already quietly planning for a major move at quarterback in 2027. 

What do you think about Carter's verdict on the Steelers' quarterback room heading into 2026? Let me know on X @hagenbackus94!

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