What New Steelers QB Drew Allar Said About His Previous Meeting With Mike McCarthy

The rookie quarterback said his meeting with McCarthy was the “toughest” one he had.

Drew Allar talked about his meeting with Mike McCarthy a couple months ago. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar must have impressed Steelers coach Mike McCarthy when they met months prior to the draft, as Pittsburgh ended up selecting the quarterback in the third round with the 76th pick on Friday. Fans wondered if the Steelers would draft a quarterback this year as the team still waits for Aaron Rodgers to make his decision for the 2026 season, and Allar was the answer to that question.

After Allar’s name was called in the third round, a clip of him talking with CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala during the NFL scouting combine in February resurfaced as he discussed his meeting with Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, whom he claimed was the “toughest” coach he spoke with.

“We weren’t necessarily up on the board when we did it, it was just kind of like this and I was explaining a lot of our protections and a couple concepts he was asking me about,” Allar said. “It was really fun, though. Those are the conversations I love, I love talking ball. I’m learning as much football as I can. I’m taking a lot of pride in just trying to [have] the highest football IQ I possibly can every year. I try to improve on it every year.”

Kinkhabwala then asked Allar if he thinks he passed McCarthy’s test.

“I hope I passed,” Allar said laughing. “I feel good in what I was saying.”

It’s safe to say that Allar passed McCarthy’s test as the Steelers ended up drafting him.

Which coach has been the toughest when they put Drew Allar on the board?

Mike McCarthy, as @AKinkhabwala found out pic.twitter.com/p8SxpDZYml

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 27, 2026

McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, also asked Allar about growing up in Cleveland and rooting for the Browns, the Steelers’ AFC North rival. The new Steelers coach didn’t give Allar too much flack for cheering for the Browns growing up. Since being drafted by Pittsburgh, Allar has fully embraced being a member of the Steelers and abandoning his childhood team.

“I guess that’s out the window now, but I'm very excited to be a Steeler,” Allar said about his Browns fandom, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.

Allar did go viral as fans joked that he struggled to put on the Steelers hat when his name was called. That AFC North rivalry runs deep.

.@AllarDrew is staying in Pennsylvania 👏

NFL Draft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YztmIzmrrp

— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2026

What drafting Drew Allar means for the Steelers’ quarterback situation

For the fifth offseason in a row since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers are in a tricky situation trying to figure out who their starting quarterback will be for the 2026 season. Drafting Allar only made that situation more cloudy, especially since the organization is still waiting on Rodgers to make an official decision about his future (which he was supposed to do before the draft).

Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr argued that the Steelers’ quarterback situation remains the same after Allar was drafted, though, because his selection doesn’t solidify that the team expects Allar to be a starter come September. This pick still allows Rodgers to have the starting role if he intends to keep playing, and keep playing in Pittsburgh at that. If Allar would’ve been seen as a solid choice for a QB1 right off the bat, he would’ve been selected earlier in the draft.

Allar joins a quarterback room with Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh’s long-time backup quarterback, and Will Howard, the team’s sixth-round pick from last year. Howard missed the majority of his rookie season with a pinky finger injury, so he has yet to make his NFL debut.

If Rodgers decides to return to the Steelers, then the remaining three quarterbacks in the room will likely be competing for the backup position. Even if Rodgers does come back in 2026, that will likely be his last season as he will turn 43 in December. Having young quarterbacks like Howard and Allar in the system will allow the Steelers to hopefully find a long-term solution at the position after Rodgers retires. Allar could be the answer there—we’ll see.

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