Pittsburgh’s decision to draft Drew Allar in the third round Friday night did not move the Steelers off their plan for Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy said Saturday night. The coach said Allar’s arrival with the No. 76 overall pick does not change what the team is hoping to hear from Rodgers.
“No, not at all,” McCarthy said when asked whether the draft pick altered the team’s stance. He added that the move was about developing the quarterback room and making it “as deep as possible.”
Rodgers went 10-6 as Pittsburgh’s starter last season, throwing for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while helping steer the Steelers to the playoffs. That production gives the team a clear reason to leave the door open if he wants to return, even after adding another young quarterback.
McCarthy said the Steelers want to grow the quarterback room and avoid leaning on one player alone. He said the questions around Rodgers are not changing his answer, adding that the team’s approach is already set.
“These are all questions, answers, hypotheticals that really, it won’t change what I’ve already said,” McCarthy said. He said he intends to coach the room hard and that his confidence, history and experience will allow him to give everything he can to any quarterback in it.
For now, the roster leaves room for Rodgers to settle back in if he chooses to come back. Mason Rudolph, Allar and Will Howard are among the options behind him, though neither Allar nor Howard has taken a professional snap.
The Steelers’ draft did not close the book on Rodgers. It simply made clear that Pittsburgh is preparing for more than one outcome, and waiting on the veteran remains part of the plan.
