The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a lot of improvements to their roster in free agency. However, they still have a huge need at quarterback, and unfortunately, there aren’t too many good options available, especially in the long term. While much of the focus has been on Aaron Rodgers, Mike Florio revealed Friday that he’s heard the Steelers covet Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the draft.
“I think they’re trying to keep their cards close to the vest in hopes that Ty Simpson slips them,” Florio said on his Pro Football Talk podcast. “All that Will Howard stuff is just smoke. I think they’d like to get Ty Simpson and Aaron Rodgers based on some stuff I heard yesterday. Rodgers plays for one more year, then Simpson takes over.”
Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy have both done nothing but praise Howard this offseason. They’ve made it sound like they’re comfortable giving him a shot at the starting job if Rodgers retires. However, if Florio is correct, then Howard’s odds of being the Steelers’ starter aren’t very high.
Simpson is largely viewed as the second-best quarterback in this draft class. However, he’s got a lot of question marks. The biggest of which is that he only started for one season in college. While he was good for most of 2025, he struggled more down the stretch.
Spending a first-round pick on a quarterback is almost always a gamble, but Simpson comes with even more risk. The Steelers had a formal meeting with him at the Combine, and he had nothing but good things to say about the team. Specifically, Simpson praised new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.
While McCarthy seems high on Howard, he might want to start his Pittsburgh tenure with a bang by trying to find the team’s next franchise quarterback. He’s got a history of developing quarterbacks. Perhaps Simpson could be next.
Having him sit behind Rodgers for a year could be very beneficial to his career. The four-time NFL MVP was a mentor for Howard last year. That strategy could be helpful for the inexperienced Simpson.
The key will be if Simpson is available when the Steelers pick at No. 21. There are plenty of quarterback-needy teams ahead of them, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals. Additionally, they still don’t know if Rodgers is going to return. Even if he does, the Steelers could still add their potential quarterback of the future in Simpson.