Steelers sign Drew Allar to rookie contract

The controversial third-round pick is battling veteran Mason Rudolph and sophomore Will Howard for backup duties behind Aaron Rodgers. All three signal callers had strong outings against the Packers’ reserves on Thursday. A former massive recruit whose Penn State career did not go as planned, Allar has youth (22) and raw physical talent on his side as he looks to develop under Mike McCarthy. There is very little chance he would be ready for prime time if forced into 2026 action.

Howard is set to compete with veteran Mason Rudolph for backup duties to begin the season. Rudolph and Howard were splitting reps in the team’s offseason program last month. NFL Network reported in January that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy “likes Will Howard a lot” and sees potential in his offensive system. “I’m not saying the Steelers believe Will Howard will be the quarterback for ten years after Aaron Rodgers is gone,” Breer said. “But I do think Mike McCarthy sees a little something there and wanted to take a closer look.” Howard, going into his age-25 season, threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions during his final collegiate season at Ohio State in 2024. He ranked fourth among all CFB quarterbacks in adjusted yards per attempt that season.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is worth “up to” $25 million. It includes a base salary between $22 and $23 million, with some extra money tied to incentives. The deal ends Rodgers’ awkward standoff with the only franchise actively pursuing him. It also reunites him with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. Rodgers won two of his four MVPs and hoisted his only Lombardi Trophy while playing for McCarthy in Green Bay. Though Rodgers is more of a game-manager at this point in his career, McCarthy should at least be able to get more out of him than Arthur Smith did in 2025. Still, the low-ceiling signing isn’t likely to move Pittsburgh off its crash course with another first-round playoff exit. For fantasy purposes, Rodgers is, at best, a low-end QB2.

“They are re-uploading their own methods and fundamentals and mechanics,” Pryor said, adding that McCarthy and the team’s QBs coach were “very intentional” with Allar during rookie minicamp, focusing on footwork and basic throwing mechanics. McCarthy is hoping to get Allar to widen his stance and get off of his toes in the pocket. “That’s something that will help him process even more and just move faster as he gets acclimated to the NFL,” Pryor said. A third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft who threw 49 touchdowns over the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Penn State, Allar could see significant playing time this season if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t show up this summer. Even if Rodgers eventually decides to report to the Steelers, a lost season for Pittsburgh could put Allar under center down the final stretch of the regular season.

“During rookie minicamp, the former Penn State quarterback worked his two- and three-step drops at an almost robotic-like pace. That was intentional,” DeFabo writes. Perhaps it all clicks later in the offseason, but we’d be surprised to see Allar as a real option in-game this year based on this observation.

The coach, speaking to ESPN anonymously, expressed optimism that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy would get the most out of Allar, who was taken in the third round of the 2026 draft. “Hopefully [Pittsburgh] will be a coaching staff that can maximize what he’s good at,” the Big Ten coach said. “I’m not really sure that was the case [at Penn State].” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg said Allar, who threw 49 touchdowns over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, “would have been among the top quarterbacks drafted in 2025 if he skipped his senior season.” Allar’s final season started slowly and was cut short by an ankle injury. In Pittsburgh, he will likely sit behind Aaron Rodgers to begin the season if Rodgers finally decides to return to the Steelers for another season.

It could be a sign that the Steelers want an answer about whether Rodgers will play in 2026 sooner rather than later. The mercurial veteran once again let the NFL Draft come and go without commitment to another NFL season, and the Steelers used a third round pick on Penn State QB Drew Allar. Allar could be an insurance policy in case Rodgers retires in the coming months. The right-of-first-refusal tender will force Rodgers, 42, to “accept a 10 percent raise off last year’s salary, which would pay him about $15 million this season, and the Steelers also now will have the right to match any offer sheet he would sign with another team,” according to Schefter. “As another condition of the tender, Rodgers would only be able to sign with the Steelers once training camp begins.” Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that he expects Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh for another season under center, this time in the offense of his former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.

Tomlin believes Rodgers remains a “capable” player and still loves the game. The positive reports regarding Rodgers’ potential return continue to trickle in. Last week, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said that he has confidence in Rodgers’ current abilities, and the team only added Round 3 rookie QB Drew Allar to the mix over the weekend. He joins incumbent QBs Will Howard and Mason Rudolph. Allar is an interesting prospect but likely needs time to develop. Being mentored by Rodgers would be very helpful for him.

A year ago, Allar’s (6’5”/228) stock was at an all-time high, as the former Nittany Lion was viewed as a potential top-five draft pick after throwing for 3,327-24-8 in his third year on campus. Unfortunately, the decision to return to Penn State in 2025 dealt a heavy blow to Allar’s draft stock after his passing numbers regressed in the six games he appeared in, and a broken left ankle prematurely ended his season. It doesn’t take long to look at Allar and see that he has the size and arm strength to make it in the NFL, but that will only get a player so far. Whether by design or not, Allar has pedestrian numbers for his career as far as YPA (7.4) and ADOT (8.5) are concerned, and his adjusted completion percentage (73.1 percent) is on par with recent QB prospects since 2015. Penn State never put high-end receivers around Allar, and his loss of tight end Tyler Warren after 2024 likely explains some of his drop-off in 2025, but the lack of big-time throws on his profile is concerning, given his traits. Allar’s ability as a runner is another plus that has earned him plenty of praise with scouts, but coaches will need to find a way to tap into his potential to see if he has more to offer. For all his flaws, Allar has displayed a good sense for avoiding sacks when pressured, boasting a career pressure-to-sack rate of 12.9 percent while taking only 43 sacks on 1,144 dropbacks. There’s a lot of work to be done here, but Allar is a worthwhile project that could change a franchise if coaches can find a way to maximize his abilities.

It’s an interesting list of teams. Just a few hours ago, Rapoport’s colleague, Tom Pelissero, reported that the Dolphins and Browns, among other teams, were calling around about trade-up opportunities. Per Rapoport, the potential candidates to be drafted are Miami QB Carson Beck, Penn State QB Drew Allar and LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier. NFL insider Jordan Schultz issued a similar report minutes later, linking Beck to the Cardinals, while echoing Rapoport and Pelissero’s trade-up candidates. He believes a wide receiver run is also in play.