Steelers Sign Drew Allar to Rookie Contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers have finally signed every member of their 2026 NFL Draft class.

Quarterback Drew Allar was the last of the Steelers' 10 picks to ink his rookie deal, and the team announced that he has agreed to a four-year contract.

It's not a huge surprise that Allar's situation dragged out considering none of the three quarterbacks selected ahead of him officially signed until earlier this week, but Pittsburgh is surely happy to have everything ironed out on that front before training camp begins.

May 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (16) participates in OTA drills at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

What is The Ceiling for Allar as a Rookie?

From the moment Allar was taken with the No. 76 overall pick, it was pretty clear that it would take a miracle for him to see the field during the regular season as a rookie.

For one, it was more or less understood at the time that Aaron Rodgers was going to re-sign with the Steelers, and the two sides eventually came to terms on a one-year deal shortly before OTAs began.

With Will Howard also in the quarterback room as a more polished prospect who was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Allar was always viewed as more of a No. 3 signal-caller option right off the bat.

The primary reason for his standing on the depth chart is the fact that he has so much growth and development ahead of him. Allar has a lot of the tools you can't teach with his size and arm talent, which is why Mike McCarthy and Pittsburgh appear bullish on his potential, but every other aspect of his profile is an extreme work in progress.

Allar has been working towards reworking his mechanics and entire process behind center, adding to the already long checklist that rookie quarterbacks have to go through as they enter the league.

He'll have an opportunity to showcase additional growth during training camp and the preseason, but his true ceiling this season is eventually working his way into the backup role, and even that might be wishful thinking.

Is Allar a Candidate to Start in 2027?

The little steps are what matter with Allar. If he can continue to make incremental progress throughout the year, that would go a long way towards putting him in an advantageous position heading into his second season with the Steelers.

Howard isn't even the biggest roadblock in his way moving forward; however, it's the looming threat of Pittsburgh selecting a franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, as whoever it picks would be viewed as the future of the franchise.

As a result, Allar will need to outperform expectations in order to lock himself in as a starting option in Pittsburgh. The most likely outcome is that he'll have a chance to serve as QB1 to open the 2027 season and then take a backseat once the rookie is ready.

If Allar were to ever truly reach his ceiling, though, the Steelers would have quite the dilemma on their hands, but it would be a good problem to have.

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