NFL World Fires Back at Adam Schefter’s Report
Shortly after Schefter announced Rodgers’ return to Pittsburgh, the senior NFL Insider appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” to provide further insight into how the signing may impact the Steelers’ quarterback room.
“I think the organization is very high on Will Howard,” Schefter said. “If Aaron Rodgers had decided, for whatever reason, he wasn’t going to come back this season, I think the organization was fully prepared to move forward with Will Howard as its starting quarterback.”
Several seemed to disagree, however, as Harrison Graham wrote: “Every couple of months, we hear about how high the Steelers are on Will Howard. Then why did they beg Aaron Rodgers to come back? Why did they draft Drew Allar in the 3rd round? It just feels like a forced narrative for no reason.”
Meanwhile, a Steelers fan account wrote: “They’re so high on Will Howard that they begged Rodgers to come back and then drafted a QB in the third round.”
Tom Downey added on in a sarcastic tone, “IDK about you guys, but when I’m high on a 6th round pick at QB, I always turn around and draft a new QB in the 3rd round the following season.”
“They’re high on Allar, not Howard,” Dav Warren chimed in.
Jimmy Dinsmore wrote: “So much so that they overpaid for a 42-year-old diva quarterback?” in reference to Steelers being reportedly very “high on” Howard
Will Howard vs. Drew Allar
“At 6’4″, 236 pounds, Howard passes the eye test,” PFSN’s Ian Cummings wrote during the 2025 NFL Draft cycle. “He’s big. He has decent functional mobility. And his arm has juice and angle freedom. He doesn’t have any elite traits apart from his size, but he’s accurate, efficient, and a good processor. As a backup or spot-starter, he fits the bill.”
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More recently, ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, PFSN’s QB Scouting Report described Allar as “perhaps the most quintessential ‘prototypical QB’ in the 2026 NFL Draft. A former five-star recruit, he has the frame at 6’5″, 235 pounds. He has the rocket arm, and he has the nimble mobility and arm elasticity to work off-platform.”
“Allar has an enticing blend of raw talent and offensive command, however, flaws remain on his profile,” The report continued. “His accuracy and precision runs very hot-and-cold, his dropback and release mechanics are near liability level, and he’s not the level of rushing threat to create his way out of bad situations consistently.”
Allar, who ranked 20th and 21st among quarterbacks according to PFSN CFB QB Impact metrics in 2024 and 2023, respectively, but fell to 71st in 2025, proving that he is quite inconsistent. Howard, on the other hand, ranked 2nd in his final collegiate season in 2024. Then again, at the professional level, Allar appears to have a much higher upside.
Time will tell whether Howard, Allar, or another signal-caller is the Steelers quarterback of the future. For now, Rodgers is set to return for year 22, as Pittsburgh aims to make some noise in the AFC in 2026.
