And then there was one. Quarterback Drew Allar has signed his rookie deal with the Steelers , the team announced on Friday. That means Rams quarterback Ty Simpson is the lone remaining unsigned QB from the 2026 draft. Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck put pen to paper with their respective teams earlier this week. Allar was the No. 78 overall pick in the third round in April after four seasons at Penn State. He is one of four in Pittsburgh ’s QBs room, along with Aaron Rodgers , Mason Rudolph , and Will Howard
And then there was one. Quarterback Drew Allar has signed his rookie deal with the Steelers, the team announced on Friday. That means Rams quarterback Ty Simpson is the lone remaining unsigned QB from the 2026 draft. Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck put pen to paper with their respective teams earlier this week. Allar was the No. 78 overall pick in the third round in April after four seasons at Penn State. He is one of four in Pittsburgh’s QBs room, along with Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard
by Ari Koslow | Steelers Correspondent | Fri, Jul 24th 1:13pm EDT The Steelers officially signed Drew Allar to his rookie contract. ( Pittsburgh Steelers on Twitter ) Fantasy Impact: Allar lands his deal heading into training camp. He will be competing for the backup job behind Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers quarterback room. Official 🙌 @AllarDrew pic.twitter.com/fHwFeYyjzU Category: Transactions | More Drew Allar : News , Rankings , Projections , Stats
Allar signed his four-year rookie contract with the Steelers on Friday. Pittsburgh's rookie third-round pick is ready to roll ahead of training camp, which kicks off for the Steelers on July 28. Allar will compete with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard for the second spot on the quarterback depth chart behind Aaron Rodgers
The Los Angeles Rams don’t usually make first-round picks and maybe Ty Simpson ’s prolonged waiting game to sign his rookie contract helps explain why, especially now that Fernando Mendoza is under contract. Mendoza and Simpson were the last two first-round picks who had not signed their rookie contracts, but that changed on Thursday as the Las Vegas Raiders officially locked down the first overall pick of the draft. Mendoza signed a four-year, $57 million deal, which we all knew would happen because of the rookie pay scale as per the CBA. We already know what Simpson is going to sign for, we already know it will be fully-guaranteed, but the Rams continue to work on “contract language” with the 13th overall pick. The only other two unsigned rookies in the NFL are quarterback Drew Allar and edge rusher Gabe Jacas . As per Blaine Grisak’s interview with Joel Corry of CBS Sports , the wait with Simpson is likely related to a signing bonus: “Simpson’s camp is probably insisting that the Rams extend the 2024 quarterback payment convention to him since he was drafted one slot lower than Nix,” said Corry. “Nearly every team besides the Jaguars and Rams requires offsets with salary guarantees for draft picks, including those selected in the top 10.” “Based on past practices, Simpson’s contract with the Rams shouldn’t contain offsets,” continued Corry. “The last time the Rams had a first-round pick, edge rusher Jared Verse in 2024, his contract did not contain offsets in the salary guarantees despite being the 19th overall selection.” The Rams report to camp on Saturday. Will Ty Simpson be there?
Fernando Mendoza and the Las Vegas Raiders have a deal. Mendoza and the Raiders agreed to terms on the quarterback’s rookie contract, the team announced Thursday , July 23. Mendoza deal is valued at $57. 2 million. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza’s rookie deal was slotted and predetermined, but top draft picks, especially quarterbacks, have some leverage. Signing bonus cash flow, guaranteed money details and offset language are negotiable terms in rookie contracts. The top four quarterbacks selected in this year’s draft – Mendoza, Ty Simpson , Carson Beck and Drew Allar – were all unsigned as of Wednesday morning . The Arizona Cardinals signed Beck to his rookie deal Wednesday afternoon . Cardinals rookies reported to training camp on Wednesday, so there was a sense of urgency to sign Beck. The same can be said for Mendoza as Raiders rookies reported to camp on Thursday. Mendoza’s signing bonus is what stalled the quarterback from originally signing his rookie deal with the Raiders, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss such deals. Single lump sum payments have become customary for No. 1 overall picks. The last No. 1 pick that didn’t receive their signing bonus in a single lump sum payment was Kyler Murray when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. A person familiar with the Raiders process told USA TODAY Sports the Raiders’ standard practice is paying signing bonuses in instalments. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Now that Mendoza and the Raiders have settled their contract situation, the rookie quarterback can now turn his focus on Year 1 with the Silver and Black. The Raiders signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason. Cousins is expected to start the season while the Raiders take a conservative approach with Mendoza, a quarterback they hope is their franchise quarterback. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Top pick Fernando Mendoza reports to Raiders camp, signs contract
With rookies reporting to training camp on Thursday, the Raiders have taken care of an important piece of business. No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza has signed his rookie contract, the team announced. “ Let’s get this thing rolling ,” Mendoza said in a video released by the team on social media. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes Mendoza’s deal is worth $57.27 million, fully guaranteed. The Raiders also hold a fifth-year option on the first-round pick. Mendoza’s signing should clear the way for Rams quarterback Ty Simpson and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar to also sign their rookie deals. Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck agreed to terms on his four-year rookie contract earlier this week
There had been four unsigned rookie quarterbacks. There are now three. Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Cardinals and quarterback Carson Beck have agreed to terms on a four-year, $7.4 million deal, as the Cardinals gather for training camp. The amount was never in question. It’s slotted. There’s nothing to negotiate. The question is whether he got more guarantees than others around him received, given the position he plays. Eventually, the contract will be reported and the full percentage of the guarantees will be known. For now, Beck is under contract. He can embark on an effort to disrupt the current plan to make veteran Jacoby Brissett the starter. And the chances of that could increase, if Brissett and the Cardinals don’t work out a new deal before camp opens — and if Brissett declines to practice until they do. Three other rookie quarterbacks are unsigned: Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Rams quarterback Ty Simpson, and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar
Drew Allar has yet to sign his rookie contract with the Steelers. The rookies for Pittsburgh are scheduled to report to training camp on Tuesday next week. This will remain a situation to monitor heading into camp
Training camps will be opening soon. Before 2011, that meant most teams engaging in a game of beat the clock with most of their draft picks. Nowadays, most contracts are signed by Memorial Day weekend. This year, there are four notable exceptions. They are the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft: Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (first overall), Rams quarterback Ty Simpson (13th overall), Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (third round, 65th overall), and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (third round, 76th overall). There’s not much to negotiate. The dollars are set by a formula based on the draft slot. Pressure points in the past have related to signing bonus cash flow, voiding of guarantees, and offsets on guarantees. Surely, all of the deals will get done. Rookie holdouts are now very rare. But no deal is done until it’s done. And it’s getting a little glaring for the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft
Ty Simpson isn’t the only early 2026 draft pick who still hasn’t signed their first contract. In fact, four quarterbacks and seven selections total still haven’t put pen to paper. The first four quarterbacks drafted this year, including Fernando Mendoza (first overall), Simpson (13th), Carson Beck (65th) and Drew Allar (76th) are all without a deal so far, although it’s still far too early to be genuinely concerned about this. Since the rookie wage scale was implemented in 2011, every draft pick has a specific value each year. In other words, before the draft even starts, the total value of every pick’s contract is already set. Unlike the pre-2011 lockout world, when draft picks could negotiate salaries and early picks would eat up massive amounts of cap space, every team already knows what their picks will make, at least in terms of general value. Matthew Stafford , for example, got a six-year contract with a total value of $72 million when he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2009, with $41.7 million guaranteed. The salary cap was also just $123 million in 2009. For an example even closer to home, Sam Bradford ’s holdout and subsequent massive contract he signed following the 2010 draft was the final nail in the coffin for the old way of doing things. Needless to say, that’s not what’s happening with Ty Simpson and his fellow top-three round quarterbacks this year. For comparison’s sake, Mendoza’s eventual contract will be fully guaranteed, but will only be worth $57.3 million total value over four years. Simpson’s total value will be right around $25.4 million. In recent years, the hang-ups for draft pick deals have generally involved things like offset language or other relatively minute details. Rookies don’t hold out often anymore, even though there was an example of it last year when Shemar Stewart of the Cincinnati Bengals held out intro training camp. While we don’t have exact details yet, this is likely just the newest relatively minor mutation of the rookie wage scale era. As far as the first-round picks go, Simpson and Mendoza, there hasn’t been much change in how those contracts are done in recent years. The top-overall selection’s contract has been fully guaranteed since the scale was implemented, when Cam Newton signed for $22 million . Both of those aforementioned passers will get fully guaranteed deals this year, too. But the other fine-print details are the likely sticking points, and will likely set a precedent for next year’s class and those beyond it as well. It’s even easier to guess what’s going on with Beck and Allar, the third and fourth quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft. If you recall last year, almost every second-round pick held out well into July (right around this time last year, right before training camp, fittingly). That was entirely about guaranteed money and how much they were going to get after past second rounders only received partial guarantees on their rookie deals. Now, this year’s 64th-overall pick ( Bud Clark for the Seattle Seahawks ) has a rookie contract valued at $7.9 million with $5.4 million guaranteed, or, in other words, 68% of the deal is guaranteed. Last year, the 65th pick in the draft, Darius Alexander of the New York Giants , had just under $1.6 million of his $6.7 million overall contract guaranteed, or just below 24%. That’s a sizable disparity. Needless to say, you can understand why a quarterback drafted in that position wants a bigger guarantee. And next year, non-quarterbacks taken in the third round will want a guarantee commensurate with those of their classmates, and the process will continue down the line later and later into the draft. Deadlines spur action, and with training camp looming there’s a soft deadline on the horizon to work these contracts out. At this point it would be shocking if these quarterbacks don’t get on the field soon. The next time someone asks you why these deals aren’t done and should they be worried about it, you can [... truncated ...]
Drew Allar has some familiarity with the West Coast offense, but the Steelers rookie quarterback doesn’t know nearly as much about Mike McCarthy’s offense as Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers played for McCarthy in Green Bay from 2006-18. Allar will get at least one season to watch and learn from Rodgers and McCarthy, who has also had Joe Montana, Brett Favre and Dak Prescott as his quarterback. “I’m really excited to learn from [Rodgers],” Allar told Eric Williams of Fox Sports. “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, a third-round pick, is fourth on the depth chart behind Rodgers, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. “It’s really just taking it a day at a time,” Allar told Williams. “They do a great job of building it out throughout practice with the quarterback in individual drills. They do a great job of emphasizing things throughout each day, just so I can get that foundation, because the footwork is a little different than what I’m used to. “We were under center a little bit at Penn State, but not in the drop-back game. It was more run game and play-action game. So, just getting cleaner with under-center drops and drop-back footwork. And just really trying to pick up on the nuances of it. Just some different teaching, and it’s really cool to be a part of that. And kind of have another chapter to learn from and grow from. I already feel a lot more comfortable in it, and I know I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep working at it.”
Drew Allar has some familiarity with the West Coast offense, but the Steelers rookie quarterback doesn't know nearly as much about Mike McCarthy's offense as Aaron Rodgers
In less than a month, the Pittsburgh Steelers will report for training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. These open summer practices will give us a good idea of what specific aspects will be different under new head coach Mike McCarthy. With a bevy of draft picks this past April, Pittsburgh will have to make some tough cuts down to 53 players at the conclusion of the preseason. Here are three players who have something to prove, and may be fighting for a spot on the final roster this August. Will Howard was given QB2 reps for the Steelers in OTAs and throughout their offseason program. It should be expected that this trend will continue into training camp. However, I wouldn’t necessarily pencil in Howard as the solidified backup quarterback just yet. In fact, I think we should be treating this training camp and preseason as more of a tryout period for Howard. It’s important to keep in mind that Howard has played zero snaps in any preseason or regular season games in his career. Howard missed the majority of training camp last summer with a hand injury that prevented him from getting valuable reps. Now, Howard is very much a wild card in year two in a room with two established veterans in Aaron Rodgers and longtime backup Mason Rudolph . The new coaching regime also went out of its way to select Drew Allar in the third round to essentially have a redshirt year and develop as the third-string quarterback. This leaves Howard in a very cut-and-dried situation. It’s to earn the backup spot or be cut. Steelers insiders seem to be echoing this sentiment in their early final roster projections. So much of the discourse online will almost certainly be about who looks better between Howard and Allar when, in reality, you should be comparing Rudolph and Howard. Can the Steelers feel comfortable enough going into the season with Howard and Allar behind their soon-to-be 43 year-old quarterback despite having no regular season experience? That will be the question the coaching staff will be asking itself all summer. McCarthy raving about Howard after he was hired may have been a touch exaggerated, but make no mistake about it, the Steelers are giving the sixth round pick a shot this summer to make the team and catapult into an important backup role. The 2025 third-round pick had a complete dud of a rookie year. Johnson only mustered 2.5 yards per carry on his 28 attempts, and made a major special teams blunder that all but kept him off the field in kickoff situations for most of the year. Johnson now has a brand new coaching staff that did not draft him in charge, and has arguably stiffer competition in the running back room as compared to last year. The signing of Rico Dowdle killed any momentum towards getting serious carries for Johnson. Dowdle provides the Steelers with a true between the tackles back, something they could have used more of last year despite Warren being more than capable in that role. It’s notable that both running backs who could challenge Johnson for a roster spot come cut day both have track records in special teams play. Homer was signed as a special teams ace, so it would make sense for him to make the team, but Heidenreich could be an interesting scenario. What the Steelers want to list Heidenreich as on the final roster could be the difference between Johnson making the team or not. Heidenreich’s best shot to make the roster could very well be at receiver, clearing the way for Johnson to make the team. Unfortunately, the former third-round pick seems to be fighting for a roster spot this summer. Even if Johnson makes the final roster, it is tough to see him earning any carries barring injury this season. Perhaps no single player on the Steelers’ roster got a bigger offseason bump than Spencer Anderson . Despite signing Brock Hoffman and drafting Gennings Dunker in the third round, it seems as though Anderson is going to head into Latrobe as the starting right guard with a legitimate shot at cementing tha
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The Pittsburgh Steelers and their quarterback situation will be one of the bigger storylines to follow throughout training camp next month. Pittsburgh has four quarterbacks, with two having roster spots all but guaranteed. Obviously Aaron Rodgers will be on the roster, and it feels almost equally as certain that rookie third-round pick Drew Allar will be on the roster, given how high he was drafted. That leaves Mason Rudolph and Will Howard potentially fighting for the final roster spot as the primary backup to Rodgers, and long-time Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly predicts that Pittsburgh will keep Rudolph while cutting Howard in hopes of keeping him on the practice squad. “Who makes the final cut, and how QB2 and QB3 are set, will be the talk of training camp,” Kaboly writes . “Rodgers is entrenched as the starter in the final year of his storied career. But considering he’s 41, in his 22nd season, and the Steelers want to develop a long-term quarterback between third-round pick Allar and Will Howard, it’s not a simple process. For the record, I would keep all four quarterbacks, but the Steelers don’t seem very interested in doing that. McCarthy has never done that in his 18 years as a head coach. Regardless of what happens in the preseason, Rudolph and Allar slot in at QB2 and QB3, with Howard the odd man out. Trying to stash Howard on the practice squad might not be that daunting, considering he was a sixth-round pick with no reps to speak of as a rookie.” Kaboly once again noted that he doesn’t believe the Steelers should cut Howard, and that he would keep four signal-callers. However, he does think Pittsburgh will not put the former sixth-round pick on the 53-man roster. “I would absolutely keep four QBs on the roster. I don’t believe the Steelers will, hence Howard to practice squad (if possible),” Kaboly posts on X. “You don’t cut Rudolph after loading up roster in offseason with a new coach in place while you have a 22-year vet as your starting QB.” It’s not unprecedented that a team keeps four quarterbacks to start the season. The New Orleans Saints did so in 2021, although it feels a bit rich to count Taysom Hill as a quarterback. In totality, though, it is very rare, as only five teams have done so since 2013 . Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Steelers defender named as surprise trade candidate Steelers offense named one of worst in NFL NFL analyst tabs Steelers’ Mike McCarthy as NFL Coach of the Year candidate C.J. Stroud emerges as Steelers 2027 QB option Steelers sign versatile defensive back to one-year deal
The Pittsburgh Steelers will all but certainly be in the market for a quarterback in 2027, being that Aaron Rodgers has made it clear that 2026 is his final season. Rookie Drew Allar and former 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard remain potential options, as Mike McCarthy and his staff look to develop the two young quarterbacks. However, if the Steelers wanted to go with a more proven name in 2027, there are a few names they could target. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is set to be a free agent next March, and he himself set a hard deadline for a deal to get done before training camp. And now, a current AFC quarterback becomes one to monitor. Per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN, the Houston Texans and C.J. Stroud aren’t close to contract extension before the 2026 season. “Stroud and the Texans aren’t close to a deal as of late June,” Bien-Aime writes . “Houston and its quarterback are in a tricky spot because last season did not end the way either would’ve preferred. “Stroud threw four interceptions against the Patriots the AFC divisional round. A performance like that can cause hesitation when the extension for Stroud could be in the $55 million to $60 million range per year. With how negotiations are currently going, it’s gearing up to be a prove-it season for Stroud.” Stroud had a terrific rookie year in 2023 throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. The Texans won the AFC South in Stroud’s first year, which was also head coach DeMeco Ryans ’ first season as head coach. Houston has been a playoff team in each of the last three seasons, and they have won a playoff game each season, as well, making him just the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to accomplish such a feat. The Texans picked up the fifth-year option for Stroud, meaning even if they don’t get a long-term deal done between now and next offseason, he is still under contract with Houston. So if the Steelers did want to acquire him, it would have to be via trade. Stroud is 2-0 against the Steelers in his career, with one win coming in 2023 and another coming this past January in the wild card round. The Texans won both games 30-6. Pittsburgh will host Stroud and the Texans in Week 13 on Sunday Night Football . Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Steelers sign versatile defensive back to one-year deal Steelers named landing spot for All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs Steelers unable to draft QB Brendan Sorsby, per NFL ruling T.J. Watt welcoming change with Mike McCarthy as he chases return to dominance Steelers under the radar defender named big winner of offseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 draft class included several notable additions. After the Eagles sniped Pittsburgh for Makai Lemon, the Steelers took offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, and followed that up by trading up for Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round. It was the third round, though, that had many talking. Pittsburgh used the third-round pick they received in the George Pickens trade by selecting Penn State quarterback Drew Allar . After that, they selected Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker to close out their first two days of picks. In between the selections of Allar and Dunker, though, Pittsburgh took cornerback Daylen Everette out of Georgia. And while the former Bulldog may not have gotten the attention of his fellow draftees, Brooke Pryor of ESPN says he was one of the standout performers of the Steelers’ offseason program. “Everette, one of the Steelers’ three third-round draft picks, turned heads with a larger-than-expected role in minicamp, as cornerback Joey Porter Jr. limited his participation while hoping for a contract extension,” Pryor writes. “The player out of Georgia held his own as he battled with wide receiver DK Metcalf and got his hands on several passes.” Considering how deep the Steelers’ secondary already is, with the likes of Joey Porter, Jalen Ramsey , Jamel Dean , Asante Samuel, and Jaquan Brisker making up the unit, Everette being a quality player from Day One would give the Steelers an embarrassment of riches on the back end, as well as a promising player on a rookie contract who could step into a larger role in the coming years. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Four trades the Steelers should make before training camp Mike McCarthy is exactly who Pat Freiermuth needed Former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert defends Kenny Pickett draft pick Skip Bayless doubts Steelers’ playoff chances in 2026 Steelers urged to trade for All-Pro linebacker
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