The decision for Aaron Rodgers to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers definitely has an impact on all of the quarterbacks in the room, especially youngsters like Drew Allar and Will Howard.
At some point over the next year, although the Steelers are expected to be playoff contenders, it's probably best for the organization to see whether Allar or Howard could be a guy for them in the future. The 2027 NFL Draft is expected to be one of the best in a very long time, so not getting a quarterback because they don't know what they have, or hoping that there's more there than they really know, would be a really bad idea.
And from the sound of things, that isn't expected to be the case. If anything, it sounds like there's a real possibility that Allar and Howard will both get an opportunity to show what they have in the NFL because of that 2027 NFL Draft.
“The selling point for Allar is what he could eventually be if a coach can improve his footwork and accuracy issues to match the rest of his tools. Playing under Mike McCarthy puts Allar under the watch of a QB developer whose scheme caters to his skill set. Allar's mechanics will need to be restructured, though; he becomes unsteady under pressure, with erratic decision making in big moments. The Steelers have plenty of leeway to reshape Allar's game. There's exciting long-term potential if Pittsburgh can make the fixes that Penn State couldn't,” Jordan Reid of ESPN wrote.
“When he could get on the field: Much of Allar's situation is contingent on Aaron Rodgers' impending decision. If Rodgers returns as expected, Allar likely won't see the field except for the preseason and injury fill-in spots during the 2026 campaign. But it would benefit the Steelers to get Allar game experience to see what they have entering a 2027 draft which should be stronger at quarterback. Allar will join 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard as developmental players vying to be Rodgers' backup -- if the 42-year-old quarterback returns. If he doesn't? Then all bets are off,” Brooke Pryor of ESPN wrote.
Development-wise, Allar is definitely the guy to watch out for here. Not that Howard doesn't have some tools to be a decent NFL player, but the tools are off the charts for a guy like Allar, and that's why the Steelers took him in the third round.
Nonetheless, it sounds like there's going to be some quarterback movement throughout the year, especially if things go south, so it'll be interesting to see what happens here.
