The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty clear need at the quarterback position, both now and into the future, regardless of what 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers decides to do.
The 2026 NFL Draft offers the Steelers an opportunity to address the quarterback position, should they choose to. But based off a previous swing-and-miss on a first-round quarterback in Kenny Pickett back in 2022, the Steelers appear somewhat hesitant to be in the mix in a down quarterback class for a first-round signal caller.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson has been connected to the Steelers throughout the process, due in large part to the need the Steelers have at the position. Pittsburgh did meet with him formally at the Pro Day, but there has been no pre-draft visit for Simpson. Only area scouts Zack Crockett and Ike Taylor were at Alabama’s Pro Day.
For former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum, who appeared on ESPN’s Get Up Tuesday morning, the decision should be clear for the Steelers to draft Simpson.
“I’m drafting Ty Simpson at 21. Regardless of Aaron Rodgers’ decision, he’s gonna be 43 years old in December. He’s a great all-time quarterback, but at this point, he’s a bridge quarterback. We have a first-year head coach now in Mike McCarthy. Go get your own quarterback, develop him, and that should be the foundation for the next 10 years,” Tannenbaum said of Simpson and the Steelers. “This is not Kenny Pickett…who they drafted 20 overall.
“This is a much more talented player whose biggest knock may be the 15 games he started but has a lot of upside.”
The biggest concern with Simpson is that lack of starting experience. Just 15 career starts — even at Alabama — puts him in a tough spot when it comes to historical data for college quarterbacks entering the NFL. Those 15 starts have him in the same conversation with names like Mitchell Trubisky and Anthony Richardson, former first-round quarterbacks with limited college experience who flamed out.
Simpson appears to be better than those guys on tape and had a tremendous start to the 2025 season, looking like the best quarterback in the country. But he ran out of steam late in the year and dealt with injuries and an illness that hindered him. The talent around him at Alabama, particularly up front, didn’t help him much either.
Now, he finds himself in a strange spot entering the draft. Good enough to be in the conversation as a first-round quarterback, anywhere from No. 13 overall with the Los Angeles Rams, to a guy who could slide to the second round due to concerns about how his game fell off in his lone season as a starter.
If Tannenbaum has his way, Simpson lands in Pittsburgh, slides into a good system that he projects as a great fit in, and the Steelers solve the QB problem long-term. The signs just aren’t pointing to that, though.