The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting one more year of Aaron Rodgers in 2026, and they've got a pair of young quarterbacks behind him in Drew Allar and Will Howard.
It's fair to assume Allar and Howard will benefit from getting to sit and learn behind a future Hall of Famer, but it's far from certain that one of them will be taking over the starting role next season after Rodgers retires.
The 2027 NFL Draft class appears to be loaded with talent and potential at the position, and while it's unlikely the Steelers will be bad enough this season to get a shot at Oregon's Dante Moore or Texas' Arch Manning, there are plenty of other prospects who could emerge as first-round talents (South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Notre Dame's CJ Carr) and land in the range where Pittsburgh is more likely to be picking come next April.
A sixth-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2025 NFL Draft, Howard was an efficient point guard for the Buckeyes, helping lead them to a national title while displaying impressive toughness and leadership. Those are always valuable traits to have your quarterback room, but Howard fell to the sixth round in last year's draft for a reason, as he lacks the high-end physical tools to bring the kind of upside NFL teams are looking for in their potential starter. He's a bit undersized, doesn't have the arm strength to challenge NFL defenses down the field or on tight-window throws, and his effectiveness as a runner isn't likely to be as prominent against the speed of pro defenders.
That's why, despite having just drafted Howard the year before, the Steelers still invested a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in Allar.
A highly touted recruit coming out of high school, Allar's profile is the polar opposite of Howard's. His combination of size, arm strength and athleticism has always given him unlimited upside, but throughout his entire career at Penn State, he was simply never able to get the on-field output to match the potential or expectations. After multiple years of impressive flashes mixed with frustrating inconsistency, Allar's collegiate career came to an abrupt close with a season-ending injury last year. Allar is a fascinating project for the Steelers to try and develop, and new head coach Mike McCarthy could take some pride in trying to develop him in hopes of unlocking those physical traits.
But unless something drastic happens to Rodgers this season, neither of those young signal-callers are going to get any meaningful snaps during the regular season, nor are they going to see any first-team reps in practice or training camp. The team's primary focus will be on getting the best out of Rodgers in his final season, and delivering another playoff berth to a team loaded with veterans who aren't interested in waiting around for a project quarterback to figure things out.
Is it possible Rodgers goes down with another serious injury, and either Allar or Howard rises to the occasion and proves themselves worthy of the starting role beyond this season? Sure. But it's unlikely, and that's the only scenario that would give the Steelers any pause about heading into next offseason with a wide-open search for Rodgers' long-term replacement.
If that doesn't happen, and the Steelers end up enamored with one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft class, don't be surprised when they don't hesitate to take another swing at the game's most important position.
