Steelers' Mike McCarthy reportedly 'loves' this young QB amid Aaron Rodgers' return

It now seems as if Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy knew when the club made Penn State quarterback Drew Allar a third-round pick during the 2026 NFL Draft that future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers would eventually re-sign with the club to be its starter for the upcoming season. 

McCarthy wasn't with the Steelers when they took a flier on developmental quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. Nevertheless, it sounds like McCarthy is serious about giving Howard a chance to show he could serve as Rodgers' successor in 2027.

Mike McCarthy "loves" Will Howard despite drafting Drew Allar?

"Mike loves him," one unnamed Steelers official said about how McCarthy views Howard during a recent chat with NFL insider Jason La Canfora of FanSided. "Absolutely loves him. He started earning his trust right away. He fits what Mike wants to do. He has ideal size, and the kid is really tough." 

McCarthy got looks at Howard during springtime workouts as Rodgers remained an unsigned free agent. Howard took no in-game snaps as a rookie, and some have suggested that he has no real long-term future with the Steelers since McCarthy's staff is presumably married to the Allar selection. 

That said, recent reports have hinted that McCarthy and Co. view Allar as more of a project for the future than as an option to play later this year in the event that Rodgers becomes unavailable. According to La Canfora, "team officials believe the recent Penn State draft picks needs years of seasoning before he would be ready to compete for a starting job." 

What others with the Steelers like about Will Howard

"You start asking people in that organization about what they like in Howard, and you start hearing 'the veterans love him,' and 'natural leadership qualities,' and 'exceptional football IQ' and 'great anticipation and vision,'" La Canfora added. "...The Steelers felt like Howard became comfortable in his own skin last year, and through his practice reps, there was a growing sense that everything was slowing down for him and he was becoming increasingly game-ready. Of course, given how raw he was coming out of college, another year — or half a year, or whatever it ends up being — behind a future Hall of Fame wouldn’t hurt either, especially as they changed systems to things unfamiliar to Howard with (former offensive coordinator) Arthur Smith no longer running the offense."

Of course, none of this means that Allar won't ultimately leapfrog Howard on the depth chart at some point between this coming summer and September 2027. However, it does sound like Pittsburgh fans hoping that the club will give Howard a real chance to compete for the Steelers' starting job next offseason may get that wish granted.