Football
Most NFL rookies have spent their entire football lives as the unquestioned starter, the best athlete on the field, and the face of every team they played for. Waiting patiently on the sideline is a foreign concept, especially to quarterbacks. But that’s exactly what awaits Drew Allar in 2026.
How much he embraces that role will go a long way towards his future success (or lack thereof) in the NFL.
“Hopefully he can pick up a whole lot. When you have a Hall of Fame player at your position in the building, you should soak up everything you can,” Bettis said in an interview with Action Network’s DJ Siddiqi. “Hopefully that happens, and Drew sees it, understands it, and utilizes it. Because that’s a rare opportunity to have a player of that stature and ability in the building, so hopefully that helps springboard him to a great career as well.”
Will Howard is a great example of a player who fully embraced the opportunity. Even when he was on IR for the first half of the season, he spent every possible moment by Rodgers’ side, asked all the right questions, and took detailed notes to use later in his career.
Allar is more naturally gifted than Howard, but his understanding of quarterback fundamentals is less developed. Who better to use as a sounding board through Mike McCarthy’s program than his star pupil?
In just a handful of practices at OTAs and mandatory minicamp, the Allar-Rodgers relationship seems to have started on the right foot.
“He’s pulled me aside during practice to talk through some drill work or things to focus on,” Allar said via the Steelers’ website.
McCarthy has made it clear that developing the entire quarterback room—not just the starter—is a priority. Howard embraced that philosophy last season, and Allar appears to be following the same path. If he continues approaching every meeting, drill, and conversation with Rodgers as another opportunity to improve, 2026 could be one of the most important seasons of his career without even taking a meaningful snap.
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