It is no surprise that decisions made by the Pittsburgh Steelers have faced scrutiny. First, the front office drew immense criticism for its handling of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Waiting past deadlines, not selecting a backup QB during free agency, were widely viewed as a desperate gamble that stalled the franchise’s rebuild. Not entirely the same, but a decision surrounding Steelers’ rookie QB Drew Allar has drawn a similar ire, that too from one of head coach Mike McCarthy’s former quarterbacks.

“[The] NFL isn’t a league where you can just ‘re-upload’ fundamentals and mechanics,” DiNucci wrote in a now-deleted post on X. “Hope the Steelers don’t do more harm than good before he even has a chance to figure out how the NFL works.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Drew Allar as the 76th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Having played at Penn State for four seasons, Allar stood as a hot prospect with 7,402 passing yards and 61 touchdowns in 45 games. However, as part of his training under the Steelers, Mike McCarthy deemed it necessary to change certain technicalities and fundamentals in the 22-year-old QB’s game.

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“They’re essentially uninstalling everything he’s learned, and they’re re-uploading their own methods and fundamentals and mechanics with Allar,” Brooke Pryor reported Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

During his collegiate career, Allar’s arm strength was his standout. But his footwork somehow always faced intense scrutiny for not being on the level required from an NFL player. Allar’s lower-body mechanics were regarded as highly erratic. To that end, he threw from a compromised base. And that is one factor, McCarthy & Co. mainly wants to fix in the 22-year-old QB.

As for McCarthy, he has a certain game for his quarterbacks. The 62-year-old is known for orchestrating his entire passing game based on precise step drops (such as three-step or five-step drops), where the ball must be released exactly when the quarterback’s back foot hits the ground. McCarthy believes releasing the ball early is crucial for maximizing yards after the catch. However, Allar’s natural playing style introduces some inefficiency in this system.

McCarthy brings 18 years of NFL experience to the table, having won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. Additionally, Aaron Rodgers serves as a prime example of a standout quarterback who developed under his guidance.

But former Cowboys QB Ben DiNucci, who played under McCarthy in the 2020 season, is worried that it may negatively impact the 22-year-old’s natural skills. And DiNucci isn’t the only one raising concerns around this move by the Steelers HC.

Former NFL general manager Doug Whaley shared a similar concern. But he also asserted that Allar will definitely resort to his natural playing style in the heat of a game.

“That worries me,” said Whaley on 93.7 The Fan. “When the game is on the line, and the play on the field is really intense, you revert back to what got you there, and what you know in your original, and you can look at it with Tim Tebow. They tried to fix his throwing motion, but he went through all of this. But when it was game time, when it was crunch time, he reverted back to what he knows. This, to me, is alarming more than encouraging.”

The young quarterback is going to be developed by McCarthy and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, while also learning under Aaron Rodgers, hopefully. So, it will be interesting to see how such a major change will unfold for Allar and the Steelers.

A look into the potential QB1 for Mike McCarthy and the Steelers

Initially, it seemed like the Pittsburgh Steelers needed another QB addition. HC Mike McCarthy, making his Steelers debut with the 2026 season, already had a QB room with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and potentially Aaron Rodgers. However, the delayed response from Rodgers about his future complicated the entire situation.

Eventually, the Steelers were left with no option but to pick a QB prospect during the 2026 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old QB impressed McCarthy during the 2026 NFL Combine in February, which also played a hand in facilitating his move to the Steelers.

“I think, like anything, I believe in first impressions,” said McCarthy. “I’ve had a chance to watch him play, but meet him at the combine. … I liked everything about him. I think he’s young, I think he’s got a lot of room for growth, and he’s a young man that can throw the ball with the best of them. And that’s a great starting point to have.”

But will Drew Allar actually land a starting role for the 2026 NFL season? The chances look very slim. For starters, Mike McCarthy has seemingly leaned towards Will Howard, who was drafted by the Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft. “I think he’s definitely a real prospect as a starting quarterback,” McCarthy said on Mad Dog Sports Radio. “I think there’s a lot of growth.”

However, there’s still a catch in this entire saga, and that comes with Aaron Rodgers.

Before the 2025 season began, Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers, which ended following their 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round in January 2026. However, the Pittsburgh-based team has expressed its interest in extending Rodgers’ contract. But the 42-year-old wants to take time before coming to a decision.

Amid this, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the chances of Rodgers signing with the Steelers are very likely. Even when McCarthy was asked about potentially starting Rodgers as their QB for the 2026 season, he immediately showed his excitement.

“Definitely,” said McCarthy in January. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t… I was able to sit back and watch the games, and I watched most of the Pittsburgh games on TV. He was a great asset for the team.”

So, considering this, if Rodgers returns to the Steelers, there might even be a slim chance for Will Howard to start before the Super XLV winner.