2026 NFL Draft•NFL Combine•SN+•Steelers News
A podium at the 2026 NFL Combine. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
INDIANAPOLIS — I’m not going to pretend to know what Aaron Rodgers is thinking about his future, but if there’s one thing that I learned last week at the 2026 NFL Combine, it’s that the Pittsburgh Steelers have every intention of running it back with the 42-year-old quarterback, and they seem to think they have a decent chance that he’ll go along with that plan.
The Steelers have done nothing but say they’d like to have Rodgers back this offseason, with new head coach Mike McCarthy giving the green-light for his return in his introductory press conference, and Omar Khan doubling down on that interest at the combine.
But of course, let’s remember. Last year, Khan said the team’s intention was to run it back with either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson. They ended up getting out-bid for Fields’ services by the New York Jets, but it was clear they really didn’t have any interest in bringing Wilson back.
Two years ago, Khan said he had full faith in Kenny Pickett, before signing Wilson and trading Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles.
So why is it going to be different this time around?
Well let’s be clear, it might not be. This is Aaron Rodgers we’re talking about. Anyone that thinks they’re going to predict what he’s going to do is fooling themselves. The man has an authorized documentary titled “Enigma” for a reason.
At any moment, Rodgers might decide to walk away from the game, and the Steelers would be left scrambling.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a game against the Houston Texans on Jan. 12, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
But here’s why, at the very least, their confidence in him returning seems real this time around:
Unlike Wilson, the Steelers feel that Rodgers was a huge benefit to their locker room and team culture last year. He helped develop younger players, and made even the team’s veteran players want to play harder and for one another.
Even though the Steelers did not have a dynamic passing offense, and even though players were absolutely upset about their roles being diminished compared to their previous seasons, the team stuck together, and Rodgers is getting a lot of credit for that from team sources.
Without an obvious upgrade available, the Steelers would rather run it back with Rodgers than take a chance on someone like Malik Willis or Kyler Murray, because they don’t want to risk upsetting what they feel like were some team culture gains in 2025.
The Steelers also think that having Rodgers around can help them develop their next starting quarterback, as well.
Which takes us to the next bullet point.
The Steelers are serious about trying to develop Will Howard
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard warms up before a playoff game against the Houston Texans on Jan. 12, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
When McCarthy mentioned Will Howard in his introductory press conference, it represented a shift in rhetoric for the team about the club’s sixth-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft.
I don’t want to say that the staff had never said good things about Howard before, but it was pretty clear to me that most of the messaging from the previous coaching staff was about managing the already irrational expectations of the fanbase when it came to Howard’s future.
I was told privately by a team source in 2025 that the Steelers hoped that Howard could someday replace Mason Rudolph as a backup quarterback. That’s a far cry from becoming the team’s next future franchise quarterback.
But Khan echoed McCarthy’s sentiments that the team is excited about the future with Howard, and it does seem that enthusiasm is genuine.
Now, I don’t expect Howard to start any games in 2025 unless someone ahead of the him on the depth chart gets hurt — and maybe several someones. But this is not a new and not particularly popular head coach trying to blow smoke about the team’s only quarterback with any remaining potential in an attempt to drum up some optimism.
Team sources say that McCarthy is genuinely intrigued by Howard, and that they’re looking forward to him getting a chance in the preseason this time around.
The Steelers aren’t out on this quarterback class
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in a game against Villanova on Sept. 13, 2025. — Matthew Lynch / Nittany Sports Now
However, that enthusiasm for Howard will probably not stop the Steelers from drafting a quarterback. The Steelers met formally with four passers at the NFL Combine — Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Penn State’s Drew Allar, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Miami’s Carson Beck.
The Steelers enjoyed their meeting with Simpson, but I’m having a hard time seeing them using pick No. 21 on him — and there’s no guarantee he even makes it that far.
On the other hand, their interest in Drew Allar does appear to be real and much more realistic in terms of draft capital expended. Allar will likely be available in the third round, where the Steelers have three selections, and it would not surprise me at all if he ends up being one of Pittsburgh’s picks there.
The Steelers don’t have to take a quarterback — they could run it back with the same three quarterbacks as 2025 — but there’s enough interest in the depth of this draft class, which is a lot better than the top of it, to land one, especially with 12 picks in the hopper.
This will be a perimeter-player draft class
Denzel Boston — Washington Athletics
That being said, I expect the heavy focus in this draft to be on perimeter players. When my mock draft comes out tomorrow, it’ll have a wide receiver in the first round. I would expect the Steelers to draft multiple wide receivers and multiple defensive backs, as they invest in skill positions with the same amount of attention they have recently been investing in the trenches.
This class is especially deep at wide receiver, and the Steelers aren’t just targeting one type of receiver, either. Big bodies, speedsters, slot guys, route runners — they spent all week in Indianapolis chasing after them all.
That tells me they won’t be taking just one.
Free agent, draft double dip incoming
Green Bay Packers’ Romeo Doubs catches a pass for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J Puskar)
Just because they’re targeting those positions in the draft, doesn’t mean they won’t also load up on free agents at them.
The Steelers have three wide receivers under contract, one of which is a special teamer. They have two experienced cornerbacks on the roster and two safeties. Even if they intend to draft two wide receivers and two defensive backs, as I believe, they will still need to make some additions in free agency and/or through the trade market.
At cornerback, I believe their focus is mostly internal, with James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr. both candidates to return.
At wide receiver, I think the focus will mostly be external. Yes, Calvin Austin III could be a candidate to return, but the Steelers giving a formal combine interview to likely day three Iowa kick return Kaden Wetjen makes me think that might not be happening.
In terms of external options, I heard two names this week. One would be a reunion between McCarthy and Dallas Cowboys free agent Jalen Tolbert. Tolbert is not a star player, but in terms of fit with the offense as a third wide receiver option, he’s probably a option than Austin or Roman Wilson.
The other name, that’s a much more intriguing one, is Romeo Doubs. I can’t say I really understand it, but I was told repeatedly at the combine that the market for him is not as robust as has been speculated, and the Steelers might not be bidding against a lot of teams for his services. That doesn’t mean a deal will get done, but I think it’s a bit more likely than I thought coming into the week.
It probably helps that Rodgers and Doubs got along well when they were together in Green Bay.
Guard gets done first.
SeumaloPittsburgh Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo in a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steeleres Now
Another position of need for the Steelers is left guard, where it does not seem that the team is expecting Isaac Seumalo to return. The Steelers also strangely did not get a formal interview with Penn State mauler Vega Ioane, the lone guard with a first-round grade.
It seems that they’re focused on addressing guard in free agency. Another McCarthy reunion here could be Connor McGovern. He played his first three NFL seasons in Dallas from 2020-23, before moving to Buffalo and spending the last three with the Bills. He played center the last two seasons, but has 2,478 snaps of left guard and 724 snaps of right guard under his belt in his career.
He had a three-year, $22.35 million contract with the Bills, but Spotrac is projecting his market value to jump to $16.3 million per year with his next contract.
No Steelers coaches in Indy
Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium on Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; — Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
For the first time since I’ve been covering the combine (my first was in 2017), the Steelers did not send any of their coaching staff to Indy.
The coaches are usually a big part of the team’s interviews, with position coaches taking point on most in-person interviews.
I was told that the staff is still catching up after the coaching search earlier this offseason, and work on the playbook and things like that needed to continue right through the draft.
That left the Steelers a bit shorthanded at the combine, with front office staffers like Dan Colbert, Casey Weidl and others shouldering the load to a greater degree than usual.
Will that impact the quality of their draft process? We’ll just have to see. McCarthy’s first year in Dallas
Other coaching staff notes
Texas Tech outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You leads a warmup drill during a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock .. Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Just because I couldn’t meet the Steelers coaches this week doesn’t mean I couldn’t learn about the Steelers coaches.
I have never heard so much praise for a position coach hire as I did for C.J. Ah You. The Texas Tech players — even those that didn’t play outside linebacker— were effusive, as were others from around the league. The feeling is the Steelers got a young coach with real potential in Ah You.
Jahri Evans was another name I was curious about on the staff. How did the Steelers get a player that was a career-long New Orleans Saints player away from New Orleans, without even granting him a promotion?
Evans had been on the Saints’ staff since 2022, before new head coach Kellen Moore arrived in New Orleans, and apparently he and the new staff didn’t necessarily mesh they way they had hoped.
A potential answer about Jalen Ramsey
Pittsburgh Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey in a game against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 21, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
One of the things that I wanted to find out this week is what the Steelers intend to do this year with Jalen Ramsey, who played outside cornerback, slot cornerback and free safety last season.
But the lack of coaching staff in town made that awfully tough, and Khan wasn’t exactly forthcoming. I was able to glean this, though.
I asked a couple of coaches from other teams, and they felt that Ramsey is best suited to playing safety at this point in his career going forward. It could be that Khan has already decided on that, and he’s just hedging to see what the can land in free agency first.
What’s next for Mike Tomlin?
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The assumption has been that since former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepped away and released through third parties that he was not interested in coaching in the 2026 season, that he would eventually end up on TV this fall.
I don’t expect that to be the case, though. While he was coaching, Tomlin was always steadfast that he did not want to do TV, and I think he genuinely wants to spend some more time with his family.
Now, maybe a summer of boredom will cause him to get the itch at some point, but I don’t believe there’s currently a plan for Tomlin to be gracing your television sets this fall.
I think he’d probably be very good at it, but I’ve always admired his resolution to not want to do it, too.
Steelers draft plans under fire?
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II with Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey at the 2026 NFL Draft handoff on May 12, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
We are under two months to the 2026 NFL Draft being held in Pittsburgh, and so far, specific plans for the week of the draft have been pretty hard to come by.
The stage will be set up on the east side of Acrisure Stadium, facing PNC Park. We know there will also be event areas in the parking lots on the west side of the stadium and at Point State Park.
But the rest of the details have been pretty scarce. I wanted to learn more about what to expect — mostly for my own planning purposes — this week.
I didn’t learn anything, but I did find others concerned about the lack of available draft plans.
I was told by a league source that the NFL has been expressing concerns about the readiness of Pittsburgh to host the draft and the speed at which things have been coming together.
Notes from the road
Gainbridge Fieldhouse during a game between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers on Feb 24, 2026. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
I usually talk a lot more about the place I’m traveling to, but the combine is such a unique event that I’m really able to give you guys and gals lots of football notes.
The one thing I’ll say about Indianapolis is that it might be America’s greatest event city. I arrived in Indianapolis on Monday. I left on Saturday. In between, I went the Indiana Convention Center every day, Lucas Oil Stadium once, I took in an Indiana Pacers game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, met Khan and McCarthy at the Steelers’ hotel, and went to at least a dozen bars and restaurants, and never once moved my car.
Even better, most of the walking is indoors thanks to downtown Indianapolis’ incredible connection through above-ground walkways and passageways between buildings.
The combine should never, ever leave this place.
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