‘Steal of the draft’ puts Aaron Rodgers on notice ahead of NFL retirement tour with Steelers

Aaron Rodgers 2.0 might already be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

The Black and Gold head into 2026 hoping the vet has one more playoff-caliber season in him before he walks off into the sunset.

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Ideally, one of the three young men sharing the QB room with him — returning vet Mason Rudolph, 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard, and rookie third-round pick Drew Allar — will emerge from his shadow with big shoes to fill in 2027.

According to some reports out of training camp, former Penn State passer Allar might just be that man.

A 55-yard touchdown pass to Cole Burgess during seven-on-seven drills was the highlight of what has been a very strong preseason so far.

He also hit Max Hurleman and DK Metcalf on long throws to add more highlights to his reel.

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It is obviously far too early to be taking victory laps — and certainly to make comparisons to future Hall of Famer Rodgers — but that hasn’t stopped Steelers fans.

“Allar looks like Rodgers, so he’s set as QB for another 15 years,” one wrote.

“Future hall of famer and super bowl champion Drew Allar,” a second boldly declared.

“Steelers fans finding their next franchise QB after three training camp practices. We’re so back,” a third beamed.

Steelers first depth chart released

Pittsburgh’s first depth chart suggests it might be time to pump the brakes.

The Steelers begin preseason against Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy‘s former team the Green Bay Packers on August 13.

Alamy

Alamy

His spot atop the depth chart is secure, although he may play some snaps, with the other three men fighting to be named No. 2.

At the moment, Rudolph is second with Howard next, and Allar buried at No. 4.

There is plenty of time for that to change and seniority makes a difference, but the pressure is now on and nobody is a lock to make the 53-man roster.

Allar was thought to be in contention for the No. 1 pick, but a rough season for the Nittany Lions saw him tumble down boards, although some have suggested he now falls in ‘steal of the draft territory.’

Rudolph has a limited ceiling but is the known quantity having started in the NFL before.

As for 42-year-old Rodgers, he is set to see meaningful preseason action for the first time since 2018 and doesn’t seem best pleased.

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“He (wants me out there for) 30 or 40 plays,” Rodgers told Mike Silver of The Athletic. “I said, ‘Mike, if you want me to play, I’ll play.’ I’m not saying I want to do it. But if he wants me to, I will.”

McCarthy has since given himself an out.

“Those decisions are really gonna be made once we get up to it,” he said. “Trust me, I have a lot of ideas. We have plans, but being a healthy system, let’s see what happens. A lot can happen between now and [then].

“He’d like to play. I would like to see him play. But we won’t make a decision until we get all the way up to it because there’s more that goes into that than having one player play. It’s the culmination of players.”