Wednesday links: Should the Steelers want Aaron Rodgers back?

**(From SI’s Jack Markowski):** “Keep him on the right side, and I think that means Troy Fautanu is gonna be your starting left tackle, or your starting left guard,” Fittipaldo said. “They’ve got some options here as spring ball continues. It’s a possibility.”

Regarding a potential move to guard, Fittipaldo referenced the fact that some around the NFL believed Fautanu was better suited to play inside rather than at tackle when he entered the 2024 NFL Draft. It’s all speculation, but it is interesting that one of the more plugged-in Steelers insiders still thinks a move to guard could be a possibility for Fautanu. Personally, I think it would be criminal to move a proven quality tackle to guard under most circumstances.

NFC WR Recruiting Aaron Rodgers Amidst Steelers Uncertainty

**(From Heavy.com’s Tim Lindsey):** Here is what Bourne had to say on social media as he attempts to recruit Rodgers to Arizona:

“Aaron Rodgers Come on we waiting on you 👀😁” The Aaron Rodgers Cardinals smoke probably won’t amount to anything, but now even an Arizona player is publicly trying to get the future Hall of Famer to join a new team in 2026.

Steelers film study: Daylen Everette a classic Pittsburgh cornerback prospect

**(From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Christopher Carter):** Where Everette will need to improve is his ability to control players with more detailed jam efforts and an improved knack to turn and find the ball when his back is to the quarterback. If he adds those two abilities to his game, he would be a promising prospect to start for the Steelers as an outside cornerback in the coming years. A nice breakdown from Christopher Carter on the Steelers’ newest cornerback.

Steelers rookie shocks NFL with insane diet

**(From Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez):** Steelers third-round rookie Gennings Dunker, a talented offensive lineman out of Iowa, reportedly begins his game-day diet with two-to-three servings of pasta, meat sauce, bread rolls, steak, and two servings of fruit at 5:30 p.m. the night before he plays. Around three hours later, he follows this up by consuming three hamburgers, three bags of Baked Lay’s, a hydration mix, and hot chocolate. Sure, we get a “look at this offensive lineman’s diet” story every draft season, but this time it’s someone on the Steelers. And yes, it’s still unbelievable every time.

NFL Draft left lasting memories in Pittsburgh

**(From Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley):** The 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh was a record breaking one, with an all-time attendance record set with 805,000 fans attending over three days.

Included in the number of fans, there were over 600,000 fans in the first two days, with records broken for each of those days as well. The NFL Draft was a big weekend for Pittsburgh, and this is a nice recap of all that happened.

Ray Fittipaldo: Steelers’ Will Howard-Drew Allar dynamic might be uncommon, but other teams made it work

**(From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo):** Even if Howard doesn’t join the fray until OTAs, the novelty of having two young passers on the roster has sparked a conversation about quarterback development. There is a theory that not enough practice time exists to properly develop both players at the same time, but McCarthy and others have done it in the past.

In 2008, the year Aaron Rodgers was entering his first season as a starter after waiting for three seasons behind Brett Favre, the Packers selected two quarterbacks in the draft. They took Brian Brohm in the second round and Matt Flynn in the seventh round. This is a nice history lesson from the PPG and worth the read. While I wouldn’t put too much money on Howard or Allar becoming a future franchise passer — or McCarthy quarterback-whispering one of the two to a Pro Bowl season — the new Steelers coach does have some past experience with quarterback competitions.

Sources: NFLRA schedules vote to ratify new CBA with NFL

**(From ESPN’s Kevin Seifert and Kalyn Kahler):** Negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association on a new collective bargaining agreement have progressed far enough that the union has scheduled a ratification vote for Thursday night, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

When formally approved by both sides, the agreement would avoid the need for replacement officials this season. The existing CBA is set to expire May 31. This is a story not many will care about until the first bad call in the 2026 NFL season. However, as expected, it looks like both sides are working to come to an agreement at the last minute to avoid the need for replacement referees this year.

Steelers Should Make Aaron Rodgers Decision – But They Won’t

**(From SI’s Noah Strackbein):** There’s almost no reason to keep holding on. Rodgers does give the team their best shot to win a Super Bowl, and they want to stay competitive, but he’s not expected to win them much. If you’re guessing on Pittsburgh’s 2026 outcome, and it’s pretty similar to a year ago when they lost in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

So, why wait? Why put yoursevles through another offseason of misery and unknown for a player who doesn’t get you to the promise land? The Steelers are trying to stay positive, as they should, but there’s a realistic outlook on this season, and it may not be worth the wait. A short, well-reasoned piece providing commentary on where the Steelers currently sit with Aaron Rodgers. Sure, the team probably knows much more than we do at this point, but their continued incorrect predictions regarding when the quarterback will sign do point to more uncertainty on Pittsburgh’s end of things than the franchise is probably willing to admit. Even if it’s as simple as Rodgers not wanting to participate in OTAs, it’s still weird that there are this many unknowns for yet another season.

Should the Steelers even want Aaron Rodgers back?

Divorced from what the Steelers will likely end up doing — that is, bringing back Aaron Rodgers — I think there’s a good argument to be made that the team would be worse off doing so in 2026. I’m by no means saying that Rodgers would be worse than what some combination of Drew Allar, Will Howard, and Mason Rudolph would bring to the team, but based off of his play over the last few seasons, the quadragenarian clearly isn’t all that close to the player he used to be. Even with a hopefully improved supporting cast in 2026, Rodgers is still likely going to prioritize the quick, perimeter passing game that defined his 2025. You could give him the best offensive line in the NFL, and he still isn’t going to be pushing the ball deep as much as you’d like. Anyone who watched Rodgers and the Steelers in 2025 knows that the team is highly unlikely to be a Super Bowl contender in the upcoming season. So if that’s true, why shouldn’t the Steelers see what they have in the two youngsters they recently invested in? Sure, Howard, a sixth-round pick, isn’t on a clear trajectory to deserve starting reps, but Allar was drafted in the third round — the range where you hope a quarterback can turn into something. And if the Steelers spend another year with Rodgers taking up all of the starts, they’ll still likely be searching for a first-round passer in 2027 — with Allar never getting a chance to prove himself, and the team in the same predicament it was at the end of 2025. Another year with Rodgers, you could argue, is willfully treading water for a team that needs to do anything but. Of course, it’s easy to think of reasons for the other side. There’s a clear argument that Rodgers is the best available quarterback for the team in the present — showing veterans such as Cam Heyward and TJ Watt that the team is still trying to win. And even though Allar was clearly drafted with hope of upside, it might be in his best interests to sit for his first NFL season before getting thrown into the fire. If we’ve learned anything from recent quarterback successes in the NFL, it’s that patience is everything. However, the Steelers don’t have a horrible ecosystem for a rookie quarterback at the moment. If Mike McCarthy and co. can provide NFL-quality instruction on offense, Pittsburgh’s reworked offensive line, rock-solid receiving trio, and stable of talented tight ends and running backs is not a bad system to get thrown into as a first-time NFL passer. If Allar — or even Howard — have traits worth betting on in 2027, they’ll be in an environment where they can prove it. To be clear, I was never that high on Allar as a prospect. And I still don’t see Howard as much more than a spot starter at the NFL level. But the Steelers have invested enough in their quarterback room over the last two drafts that I’d rather the team see what those players have to offer in 2026 than run it back with a veteran quarterback for yet another season. ***Do you think the Steelers should bring back Aaron Rodgers?*** *Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!*