Steelers insider gives update on Ty Simpson draft rumors amid Aaron Rodgers uncertainty

Whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers could make Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson the 21st overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft became a hot topic on local sports-talk programs long before Steelers president Art Rooney II said on Sunday that he expects to learn if Aaron Rodgers will return to be the club's starter for another season before the draft gets underway in Pittsburgh on the night of April 23. 

On the latest edition of the "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" program, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed the Simpson rumors that continue to hover over the franchise. 

Have Steelers already made a Ty Simpson draft decision? 

"If the Steelers were serious about taking him, I think they would have had their full contingent at his pro day," Fittipaldo said about Simpson, per Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot. "They did not. Sometimes you've got to read the tea leaves, and I don't think they're all in on him at this point." 

Numerous reports mentioned over the first three months of this year that recently hired Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan are big fans of 2025 rookie Will Howard, who took no regular-season in-game snaps as a first-year pro.

As for Simpson, some think a New York Jets team that possesses overall picks No. 2 and No. 16 could target the signal-caller. ESPN's Matt Miller believes the Jets could select Simpson with the first pick of the draft's second round.

Ty Simpson, Steelers talk "a lot of smoke?"

"I saw a report that he's gonna work out for the Jets," Fittipaldo added about Simpson, "and the Jets have two first-round picks, and they're both before the Steelers' pick at 21. I don't think it's in play for the Steelers. I think they have so many other needs. With this not being a great quarterback class and with 2027 looking like it's gonna be good, I don't think he's in play there. I think it's a lot of smoke." 

Fittipaldo was referencing how some are convinced the 2027 quarterback draft class could be "maybe the best ever." Unless Rodgers surprises many by retiring, it sounds like the Steelers could use their top draft assets this spring to try to make life easier for the future Hall of Famer instead of on an eventual replacement for the 42-year-old.