2 best Drew Allar trade destinations after Aaron Rodgers’ Steelers return

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally ended months of speculation on May 17 when Aaron Rodgers officially signed a one-year contract worth up to $25 million to return for his second season in Pittsburgh. It was the decision the organization had been quietly building toward all offseason. bypassing veteran free-agent quarterbacks, hiring Rodgers’ old Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, and even placing an unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers to protect their negotiating position.

The move was good for Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl ambitions. But for third-round rookie Drew Allar, it raises a serious question: is there actually a path to the field in 2026, or does he need a change of scenery?

The Steelers now carry four quarterbacks on the roster: Rodgers, Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and Allar. That is an overcrowded room with a clear pecking order that has Allar buried at No. 4. The former Penn State standout, who completed 63.2% of his career passes for 7,402 yards and 61 touchdowns across his college career, is a legitimate NFL prospect. He deserves a landing spot where he can develop and compete. Here are the two best trade destinations.

Cleveland Browns: The Most Logical Fit in the AFC

No team in the NFL has more quarterback chaos heading into 2026 than the Cleveland Browns. The quarterback room features Deshaun Watson, who has not played a significant NFL snap since October 2024, and second-year players Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, both of whom did not have standout rookie campaigns. Both signal-callers averaged fewer than 200 passing yards per game in their respective starts, and neither has locked down the starting job. New head coach Todd Monken has openly stated that reps won’t be split evenly and suggested he is keeping an open mind about the competition, which signals the job is very much up for grabs.

Cleveland GM Andrew Berry acknowledged before the draft that the team would be “wholly realistic” about adding a younger quarterback to compete for the starting job. With Watson’s $230 million guaranteed contract hanging over the franchise like an anchor, the Browns desperately need a high-upside developmental piece who could eventually become the solution. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds with a 66.5% completion rate and a passer rating of 153.5 in his best college season at Penn State in 2024, Allar fits the profile of what Monken wants to build around. A late-round pick swap would likely be enough to pry him loose from Pittsburgh, and for Cleveland, that is an extraordinarily low-risk move with franchise-altering upside.

New York Jets: A Developmental Role With a Rebuilding Roster

The New York Jets are another logical destination, though perhaps for slightly different reasons. New York traded for Geno Smith this offseason and selected Cade Klubnik in the fourth round of the 2026 Draft, meaning the team is stacking quarterbacks of its own. But Smith’s messy 2025 campaign, 17 interceptions and a league-worst 2-13 record as a starter keep the door open for a team like the Jets to add another developmental arm with long-term potential.

Before the draft, Allar was mentioned as one of the names connected to the Jets’ QB search, alongside Kyler Murray. Head coach Aaron Glenn has publicly embraced Smith for 2026, but the organization is clearly still mapping out its long-term quarterback future. Bringing in Allar, who posted an 8.4 yards-per-attempt average and a 153.5 passer rating during his 13-3 junior campaign at Penn State, would give New York a legitimate succession option behind Smith without breaking the bank.

The Jets’ offense now features weapons like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, meaning a young QB brought into that environment would have excellent developmental tools at his disposal. Allar’s four-year rookie contract carries a cap hit of just $885,000 in 2026, making him one of the most affordable insurance policies in the NFL. For a team trying to get out from under years of quarterback dysfunction, that is a trade worth making.

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