Steelers seem to have strong thoughts about drafting Ty Simpson, potential Aaron Rodgers return

NFL Draft guru Todd McShay of The Ringer recently insisted that he knows "for a fact" that the Pittsburgh Steelers will not select Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

McShay isn't the only noteworthy member of the NFL community who has that opinion as of the final days of winter. 

Why Steelers may have already made Ty Simpson decision

For a mailbag published on Wednesday, Steelers reporter Mike DeFabo of The Athletic was asked whether or not Pittsburgh will grab a quarterback during the upcoming player-selection process. 

"I’ll tell you first who I don’t think it will be: Ty Simpson," DeFabo wrote. "While he’s a coach’s son who knows the game, interviewed well and has some upside, I think his limited experience (15 college starts) will weigh heavily into the Steelers’ evaluation. I would disregard the Steelers portion of any mock draft that has Pittsburgh picking him in the first round."

The Steelers met with Simpson, Miami's Carson Beck and Penn State’s Drew Allar during this year's scouting combine. DeFabo seems to think the Steelers have decided to pass on Simpson and to instead consider taking a flier on a perceived developmental quarterback "in a middle round" of the draft. 

What is going on with Steelers, Aaron Rodgers' relationship? 

A recent update indicated that the Steelers "truly don't know" if Aaron Rodgers will return to serve as the club's starting quarterback for the 2026 season. While DeFabo didn't deny that claim, he also suggested that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan aren't losing sleep over uncertainty about Rodgers' future. 

"Let me first say the most likely outcome is that Rodgers comes back," DeFabo shared. "There’s optimism in the Steelers’ building, but until he signs, no one wants to speak in certain terms." 

DeFabo added that the fact that the Steelers made no real attempt to sign either Kyler Murray or Malik Willis in free agency "says something about their faith in Rodgers returning." That said, there reportedly is "no direct timeline" for when the Steelers want to learn Rodgers' intentions for the 2026 campaign. Thus, outsiders could spend at least a portion of the spring waiting for the future Hall of Famer to reveal his plans.