Aaron Rodgers has said this will be his final NFL season, so the Pittsburgh Steelers will need a starter for 2027 and beyond. Perhaps the answer is currently on their roster. The Steelers have two young quarterbacks in Will Howard and Drew Allar. Howard has received a lot of hype, but Allar was a third-round pick this year. He’s got flaws, but he also has a lot of potential. While Ben Roethlisberger found footage of Allar practicing troubling, former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn had a different take.
“I look at it and say maybe it’s the best thing for him,” Quinn said Friday on his 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe. “Because whatever he was taught, if they feel like it wasn’t going to work, then why try to keep going that direction? At least this way, he’ll be able to do things that are expected of him at the NFL level and do it the right way.
“And with Rodgers, they at least have a year for him to learn, grow, and develop. We know he’s got a year to be able to get all this stuff down and improve and develop into the quarterback that they hope he can be. So, I’m not as concerned because I don’t think it’s a rush to put him in there.”
Allar never lived up to the hype at Penn State. Many expected him to develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the country. However, he never progressed the way people thought he would. While Allar has a lot of physical gifts, he’s held back by poor footwork and suspect decision making.
Therefore, there are a lot of people who doubt that Allar can succeed in the NFL. Roethlisberger’s worries are that the Steelers are working on the basics with Allar. If he can’t even do that right at this point, what hope is there that he’ll eventually become a quality NFL starter?
Quinn’s point is that Allar’s not going to start this year unless something extreme happens. Therefore, he can afford to start at the beginning and relearn the position.
Mike McCarthy has a history of working well with quarterbacks. He coached some all-time greats like Joe Montana and Brett Favre. Also, he helped develop the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Brooks, and Matt Hasselbeck. Allar should be in good hands. Getting to sit and learn in McCarthy’s system could help unlock some of his potential.
Buying or selling stock in players during OTAs is a little silly, especially when it comes to rookies. This is Allar’s first time working with an NFL team. It’s okay to have some patience with him.
Is Allar likely going to become the Steelers’ future franchise quarterback? No, but giving up on him because of OTAs footage is foolish. We’ll see how Allar looks in the preseason, and also if he has improved by the time next year comes around.