If you’re part of the Baby Boomer era like myself, born between 1946 and 1964, there are many classic old-time sayings. For the record, I’m a late boomer, born in 1961. One of my favorites states, “It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” By definition it means a person, situation or fact is intensely complicated, hidden and exceedingly difficult to comprehend or predict. That phrase was coined in 1939 by British statesman Winston Churchill.
Fast forward to 2026, and that phrase speaks volumes, best describing the Pittsburgh Steelers crowded quarterback room just weeks away from the opening of new head coach Mike McCarthy’s first Latrobe training camp.
Some may deem it a good situation to have four quarterbacks in the same room, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s one over the legal NFL limit by today’s roster standard. Teams run three quarterbacks on their active season roster, never four, and the Steelers will be no exception.
Unlike last year’s offseason saga with the Aaron Rodgers drama of will he or won’t he sign a contract, Rodgers actually inked his one-year deal prior to the team’s training segments on the South Side. Perhaps it was the McCarthy hiring or the pair of rising star quarterbacks that will benefit under Rodgers’ expert tutelage influencing his desire to return.
Whatever the case may be, Steelers Nation can enjoy the last hurrah of one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks to play the game. The future Hall of Fame signal caller stated on numerous occasions that this will be his final NFL season, so win, lose or draw he is riding off into the sunset opting for retirement.
On the surface it appears Rodgers is going full tilt in his final season. He appeared at the rookie minicamp and participated in the team OTAs and mandatory veteran minicamp. A year ago he was nonexistent at all the aforementioned, as he had signed with the team prior to the team’s veteran minicamp, which he opted not to show for, instead waiting until training camp began in Latrobe.
Although he’s another year older, aside from the obvious, slow movement in all aspects, Rodgers’ arm strength and football savvy have withstood the test of time. He is still smart enough to know his limitations and adapt as such. His football knowledge and mechanics are still there and his arm at present appears to be just fine.
Moving forward regarding the crowd in the quarterback room, Rodgers’ presence will continue to be more of a help than a hindrance. Second year QB Will Howard will have another go-around with Rodgers and rookie Drew Allar gets his first stint with the legendary quarterback. Both have the extreme luxury of having McCarthy as their head coach.
McCarthy’s track record of molding young talented quarterbacks is unprecedented. Should you be a nonbeliever, look at the performance of Rodgers in Green Bay and Dak Prescott in Dallas. Both were developed and shaped into record-setting, winning NFL quarterbacks.
During the team’s OTAs and minicamp, Rodgers on numerous occasions stopped the drills and pulled both Howard and Allar aside to point out their mistakes. McCarthy did much of the same; however, his demeanor and vocal delivery were not as subtle as that of Rodgers. Mason Rudolph on the other hand was simply going with the flow and soaking up the knowledge of the new offensive scheme.
Entering his second year, Howard looks much better than in his rookie season, prior to or after his injury that sidelined him for weeks during the regular season. At this point, his arm strength is much better, as is his passing accuracy. His ability to remain comfortable in the pocket, allowing his receivers the time to run their proper routes, is another pleasant surprise. Howard’s footwork has vastly improved over the last year and there is a notable difference in his ability to read defensive sets.
The Steelers might believe in his raw talent and ability, which would be the reason they selected Allar in the third round. I’m sure McCarthy’s track record of developing quarterbacks played a part in the selection of Allar as well.
Coaches McCarthy, Brain Angelichio and Tom Arth are tasked with the assignment of developing Allar’s talent. The trio wasted little time in instructing Allar to forget everything he learned at Penn State as his life and his game were about to drastically change.
The rookie QB has undergone a complete overhaul as every aspect of his game will start over from square one. His passing style and footwork were the first two things that were changed to fit McCarthy’s future developmental plans for Allar.
Allar does have one distinct advantage over Howard, that being Rodgers showing up earlier this year for team activities than last season. Which means Allar has spent much more time learning and conversing with Rodgers before training camp begins than Howard did last year.
Plans for Allar’s future remain to be seen as he is deemed by many as a proverbial project whose nurturing will undoubtedly take time.
Looking at the four signal callers heading into training camp, a host of scenarios could come to fruition as I’ll opt to lay out a few of my own thoughts. To begin, there will not be four quarterbacks on the final roster as that makes absolutely no sense. One has to go. Who that is remains entirely a coaching staff decision, not the writers, photographers or black & gold faithfull.
Allow me to be the first to armchair or Monday morning quarterback if you will. Rodgers is your lock at QB 1, unless he gets injured early in the season or totally goes in the tank with his performance by game four or five. Unless they trade for a bona fide backup signal caller, Rudolph is again safe for the season opener. If a trade takes place, then unfortunately Rudolph is out. Should the Steelers brain trust decide on the youth movement and keep Howard and Allar, again Rudolph is history.
It appears Howard is a lock to see the season opener as McCarthy has been a huge proponent of his even before Rodgers decided to return for one last fling. McCarthy is still in Howard’s corner, continuing to sing his praises every chance he gets.
Allar has a long road ahead of him; however, he is in the proper environment that will enable him to avoid many of the obstacles in his path, and he will benefit tremendously from McCarthy and Rodgers. Unfortunately this season it’s Allar who will be the odd man out, realistically speaking. He will continue to be a project and seems destined to the practice squad to further perfect his skills.
Ready for my opinion on the trio that will make up the quarterback room when the regular season begins? I’ll give you my selection for the three QB roster spots. The obvious, your starter is Rodgers, Howard will serve as his backup at No. 2 and Rudolph will slip to the third and final spot. Wouldn’t it be wild if the longshot trio on the roster turned out to be Rodgers, Howard and Allar leaving Rudolph as the odd man out?
I’ll let our loyal readers mull that over. Take your time, as we have until the beginning of September before the final roster is turned into the league.
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
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