All conversations in Steel City lead to this: the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had quarterback stability since Ben Roethlisberger hung up his cleats. Every name since – Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers – got filtered through Big Ben’s eyes. When those eyes fell on Steelers’ third-round pick, Drew Allar, Roethlisberger didn’t like what he saw, and it turned into a bigger debate about Big Ben himself.

On his Footbahlin podcast last week, Roethlisberger admitted to being “incredibly nervous” when watching Drew Allar working on three-step drops – basic footwork drills for young players. Pittsburgh’s talk show host, Mark Madden, heard that assessment and criticized the old quarterback for it.

“I’m a Ben guy, but Ben is awfully petty. Tom Petty,” Madden said on 105.9’s The X. “And when Ben passes judgment on where Allar’s at in his career, well, of course, Allar isn’t as far advanced as Ben was. Ben was 15-1 as a rookie when he got in there after Maddox got hurt and 100% got it. So maybe Ben doesn’t really get where Allar is at as a rookie because he was so far ahead.”

Ben Roethlisberger was already on the fence about Allar after the draft, noting that Allar’s tape didn’t have anything to make Big Ben go “Whoa!” Back then, he’d said the jury was still out on Allar, but he’s made up his mind now.

Owner Dan Rooney himself made a push to draft Roethlisberger in 2004. After selecting him 11th overall, head coach Bill Cowher, who originally wanted another player, called Ben a franchise quarterback. Tommy Maddox opened the season for the Steelers, but went down with an injury in Week 2. Roethlisberger stepped up, became the starter from Week 3, and went 13-0 in the regular season (14-1 including the playoffs).

Allar, in comparison, is the 76th overall pick from this year’s Draft. Barring injuries to Rodgers, Rudolph, and Will Howard, there is no reason for him to be thrust into the starting role. Roethlisberger came in with clear expectations from the franchise, but Allar came in with developmental upside.

Drew Allar wasn’t unknown before the draft. He’s a physical freak at 6-foot-5, 228 pounds with a 3,327-yard, 24-touchdown season at Penn State in 2024. But he regressed as a passer in 2025 before a season-ending injury pushed him down on the draft boards. Every major draft analyst noted his footwork needed fixing, and that’s exactly what he’s working on now.

The Steelers are making Allar unlearn everything he knows about football and building him up from scratch. So something as basic as a three-step drop – even as Big Ben criticizes it – is only the beginning of what this coaching staff plans to work with Allar on.

Madden calls Roethlisberger’s criticism of Allar “embarrassing” and “unfair,” while admitting that there’s bound to be some friction in every locker room. But Roethlisberger had already expressed his doubts about drafting Allar long before the current debate heated up. Now, the real question is whether Allar actually deserves this kind of criticism, or if he can do enough to flip the script on all of this.

But Madden didn’t just stop there and instead called Big Ben out for not wanting the Steelers QB to be any good. “I think Ben doesn’t want a quarterback to be any good for the Steelers ever again. So he pumps up Howard, which he does, I mean, why would he be any different? Ben Pumps up Howard because he knows Howard has not much of a chance. Never did like Rudolph, that’s okay, vice versa, too.”

Rudolph was a 2018 third-round pick, and after he joined the Steelers, Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan he was surprised Pittsburgh picked him over players who could “help this team now,” and avoided the question of mentoring Rudolph. Even now, Big Ben has said there was “maybe one quarterback on the team ever that was like, ‘Ben was never good to me.’” He didn’t name Rudolph, but the message was clear.

Meanwhile, Big Ben doesn’t dislike every quarterback in that room, as he himself has said that the locker room has “a guy in there.”

There is one QB that Big Ben likes in the Steelers’ QB room

When it comes to Will Howard, Big Ben has a different approach. This January, Ben had praised Howard on his podcast and projected he could be a top-five to top-ten quarterback by the time he matures. He said if Aaron Rodgers isn’t the starter, Ben would go with Howard.

“I love his heart, his fire, I think he is Pittsburgh,” Roethlisberger had said. “I think he’s tough, he’s gritty, he’s going to get you what you want. Could be completely wrong, but I think you have a guy in there.”

That’s high praise for a sixth-round pick with zero regular-season NFL snaps. Roethlisberger has also gone on record saying Howard “jumped off the tape” to him way more than Drew Allar did.

Except for a tragedy that shakes up the QB room, Drew Allar isn’t starting in 2026. Aaron Rodgers is the QB1, and he has already said he’s willing to help Allar and Howard as much as they want. Howard is competing for the backup job with Mason Rudolph, and Allar has a full year to recalibrate.

Ben Roethlisberger had no such runway. He debuted in Week 2, started in Week 3, and started winning immediately. Every quarterback has fallen short against that benchmark since. Allar is the latest name in that long list, and judging by Mark Madden’s stance, he won’t be the last.