Aaron Rodgers played through three fractures in his left wrist last season, and the Pittsburgh Steelers still aren’t sure he’s coming back. New head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t waiting around for an answer. With 12 picks in hand and a draft class he’s already been studying, McCarthy has quietly started building a blueprint for Pittsburgh’s quarterback future, with or without Rodgers. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, the Steelers are focusing on drafting players who would be able to fit in under the newly appointed head coach, Mike McCarthy.

“Things Mike McCarthy likes, 10-inch hands, cold-weather quarterbacks, playoff winners, long arms, all of these things that a couple guys in this draft have, maybe a Carson Beck.” Brooke Pryor said on a short clip from an ESPN segment, “He has 10-inch hands. Drew Allar also has big hands and long arms. Garrett Nussmeier, another option, doesn’t have quite the hand size, but it’s close enough. So they have some contingency plans that they’re working through.”

McCarthy has explained these preferences pretty directly.

“We know where we play and we know how we want to play,” he said. “I had to change, going from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Dallas, Texas, on the expectations of how I think I can play with a quarterback, as opposed to how I know I can play. Granted, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers are Hall of Fame quarterbacks. But they both have long arms. They both have 10-inch hands. If you win playoff games in December—Ben Roethlisberger was the same way—your guy has gotta throw the ball better than the other guy in the big games.”

As Brooke Pryor pointed out, the Pittsburgh Steelers no longer have the option to sign Kirk Cousins, since he has been moved to the Las Vegas Raiders. Because of that, the team is expected to turn to the draft to address their quarterback situation, especially with Aaron Rodgers’ decision still awaited regarding his return to the Steelers next season.

At the same time, the Steelers do have Will Howard on the roster, and Mike McCarthy is clearly a fan. He even said Howard should not have lasted that long in the draft, which shows there is real belief in what he can become.

Still, Pryor mentioned in the video that there are a few quarterbacks in this year’s quarterback class who could fit as potential replacements for Rodgers, mainly because they check the boxes McCarthy looks for. He prefers quarterbacks with 10-inch hands, long arms, experience playing in cold weather, and some playoff background.

The first name she brought up was Carson Beck, who has played for both the Miami Hurricanes and the Georgia Bulldogs. He was part of two national championship teams in 2021 and 2022, even though he served as a backup. Beck stands at 6 feet 4 inches and has the kind of hand size McCarthy likes. Over five college seasons, he put together three straight 3000-plus-yard years and totaled 88 touchdowns across his career.

The Steelers have already shown real interest, too. They formally met with Beck at the NFL Scouting Combine and later brought him in for a pre-draft visit on the South Side. Beck also shared that he enjoyed the meeting while praising McCarthy.

“(McCarthy) is super, super smart,” Beck said after meeting McCarthy in Indianapolis. “Really, really smart coach. That meeting, it was a lot of ball talk, for the most part. There were a couple of questions about obviously just figuring out who I am and wanting to know who I am, but it was a lot of ball talk. I really enjoyed that meeting. It was really just me and him going back and forth the whole time, just talking football, which is what I love to do.”

There were also a few other names mentioned as possible options for the Steelers, showing that the team is keeping its options open as it looks for its next quarterback.

Other draft Prospects to replace Aaron Rodgers

While Art Rooney II remains optimistic that Aaron Rodgers will make a decision before the draft, there is a growing sense that the Pittsburgh Steelers may still need to think long-term.

Several draft projections are already hinting that Pittsburgh could shift toward a younger and more reliable option at quarterback.

In the video segment, Brooke Pryor also brought up Drew Allar from Penn State.

In a three-round NFL mock draft, Mel Kiper Jr. also projected Allar to the Steelers at No. 85 overall in the third round.

“OK, the QB board is finally lining up for the Steelers. Allar is coming off that ankle injury, but he has upside,” Kiper wrote. “And he has the size we’ve seen under center in Pittsburgh; at 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds, his frame reminds of Ben Roethlisberger.”

The strength of Drew Allar lies precisely in what Mel Kiper Jr. stressed, his physical presence and arm strength. He stands at six feet five inches tall and weighs 228 pounds, fitting the physical standards that the Steelers have often preferred. Allar’s 61-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio across 45 games is the one that should jump out for Steelers fans specifically.

“If Aaron Rodgers is back, Allar can learn from a legend. If not, he could potentially compete with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.” Kiper added.

Allar has built an impressive college record as well, throwing for 7,402 yards with 61 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions across 45 games.

Another name Pryor mentioned was Garrett Nussmeier. The LSU Tigers football quarterback dealt with a shaky 2025 season due to injuries, but he is still projected as a mid-round pick.

Over 40 games, he has recorded 7,699 passing yards, 52 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. There may be some uncertainty about Nussmeier, but he has shown he can produce when given the chance.

With the Rodgers situation still unresolved, it is clear that Pittsburgh is keeping multiple backup plans ready.