Pittsburgh

Steelers

The sky is blue. No kidding. It wouldn’t make sense for a soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback to play for the franchise with the highest probability in the league to be tanking in 2026 as they enter year one of a complete rebuild. These “rumors” always seemed to be unfounded, with Weinfuss simply relaying the obvious. Even if the rumors bore any weight, the Steelers hold the right of first refusal on Rodgers and could match any offer sheet sent his way by another team. Rodgers is highly likely to either play for the Steelers in the coming season or retire, but it’s anyone’s guess when a decision will be made by the veteran signal caller.

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.

Bell was a seventh-round pick by the Patriots in 2024 and has caught two career passes for 20 yards in 15 games. The athletic tight end who was treated as a TE/HB hybrid in college has struggled to catch on as a full-time tight end in the pros. He could have a chance to earn a spot on the Steelers’ 53-man roster in training camp, but it’s hard to imagine him making much of an impact on offense even if he sticks on the roster.

It’s unclear whether this is a report from inside the building or Dulac speculating, but regardless, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that the Steelers are growing tired of waiting for the 42-year-old quarterback to make his decision. The Steelers recently applied the rarely used unrestricted free-agent tender to Rodgers, giving them the right of first refusal and a chance to match any offer Rodgers may receive from another team. The Steelers have quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard on the roster and also used the No. 76 overall pick in this year’s draft to select Penn State’s Drew Allar. Head coach Mike McCarthy will have multiple options at his disposal if Rodgers doesn’t return, but he remains their best option if he opts to continue playing.

The news comes from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office, and notes that “the fan did not appear to be injured, nor did he seek medical attention at the game.” Metcalf already served a two-game suspension issued by the league, and the Steelers did not void Metcalf’s financial guarantees, so there is no reason to expect further punishment from the NFL. The fan in question still has a $100 million civil suit against Metcalf, which remains ongoing, but we see no reason to believe that it will impact his fantasy stock negatively at this time.

Jones is recovering from a neck injury he suffered last season, which required a fusion surgery that took place in March. The decision to decline Jones’ fifth-year option likely stems from this injury, both in the short term and the long term. While some doubt has already been cast on Jones’ readiness to start this season, the Steelers likely also want to see how he holds up over the course of the season once he returns. The fourth-year tackle has started 38 regular season games for the Steelers since being drafted 14th overall by them in 2023. He’s allowed 20 sacks and 95 pressures in those games, per PFF, and earned a 59.0 pass-blocking grade last season — a career-high. Given the Steelers’ decision to select OT Max Iheanachor at No. 21 overall in this year’s draft, it’s possible they are already planning for a future that may not include Jones as their bookend left tackle.

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.

The deal includes a $187,500 signing bonus and appears to simply be a depth move. MVS spent time with the 49ers and Steelers last season, catching 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The veteran speedster has bounced around to four different teams since parting ways with the Chiefs after the 2023 season and hasn’t caught more than 17 passes at any of his stops. He’ll likely be battling to earn a roster spot in camp and carries little fantasy value.

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.

Lowry missed the 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in training camp. He totaled nine quarterback pressures and one sack back in 2024. Lowry, 31, will likely serve as a backup player if he sticks with the team beyond training camp.