If everything goes right for the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall, they won’t play third-round rookie quarterback Drew Allar at all during the 2026 campaign. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be an important season for the rookie.
Allar re-learned his footwork during the Steelers spring workouts. This summer, he faces the responsibility of learning the new Pittsburgh offense while receiving snaps behind former MVP Aaron Rodgers.
It doesn’t sound like Allar would have it any other way if he could.
“I’m really excited to learn from him,” Allar said to FOX Sports’ Eric Williams. “With him being in Coach McCarthy’s system in Green Bay, it’s beneficial because he knows the system inside and out, even though he hasn’t played in it in five or six years at this point.
“And just everything he’s going through in his career, playing in tens of thousands of snaps, how much experience and knowledge he has — the nuances of playing the position of quarterback, reading coverages, the defensive tendencies — any little thing I can pick up to help me process faster and be more accurate, I’m all in for it.”
Allar can lean on Rodgers for any veteran input. But as the rookie indicated to Williams, Rodgers is a very experienced quarterback in Mike McCarthy’s west coast offense.
QB Drew Allar Learning Steelers New West Coast Offense
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar spoke out on his place behind Aaron Rodgers on the team’s depth chart entering 2026 NFL training camp.
In a simplified offense during 2024, Allar shined, leading Penn State to the College Football Playoffs. Things were different, though, in a small sample last season when the Nittany Lions had a more open offense.
During the 2026 NFL Draft process, pundits questioned Allar’s decision-making and processing ability. Pundits, such as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, also criticized Allar for a lack of poise in big-game situations.
Allar still has to prove he can silence those doubters. But at least he is somewhat familiar with some basic concepts in McCarthy’s offense.
“The West Coast offense in general was something I studied a lot in the offseasons at Penn State,” Allar told Williams this offseason. “Kind of the newer versions like the [Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean] McVay and [San Francisco 49ers head coach] Mike Shanahan. I was on that trend for the last four years.
“But it’s now kind of a full circle moment for me, going back and seeing how everything really started.”
It’s a potential full-circle moment for Allar because McCarthy’s west coast offense is probably one of the older versions of the system around the league. McCarthy learned the system from direct disciplines of the originator of the offense — Bill Walsh.
The Steelers will be transitioning to that offense in McCarthy’s first season this fall. But Rodgers spent 14 seasons in the system with McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers. The quarterback won the first two MVP trophies of his career in the system.
Therefore, Rodgers could be a resource not just for Allar but all Steelers offensive playmakers.
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