The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Penn State football quarterback Drew Allar to his four-year, rookie contract on Friday.
"My focus is going to be on how can I make myself better 1% each day," Allar said, according to Steelers.com. "Obviously catching up on the playbook and learning everything. Just acclimating myself to the team, being a great teammate and really getting to create those relationships with everybody . . . that's going to be my main goal. Just coming in and putting my head down and going to work and just taking it a day at a time."
Pittsburgh drafted the former Nittany Lion No. 78 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. The third-round pick joined a quarterback room including veteran and five-time All-Pro Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard.
Official 🙌 @AllarDrew pic.twitter.com/fHwFeYyjzU
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 24, 2026
Former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar signs rookie contract with Pittsburgh Steelers
Allar made 35 starts at Penn State and made 45 game appearances. Over his four seasons, he completed 633 passes for 7,402 yards and 61 touchdowns. His senior season was unfortunately cut short due to an ankle injury he sustained in the Nittany Lions' loss to Northwestern in Week 6.
Despite not being the standout five-star quarterback the blue and white faithful wanted Allar to be, Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth has a lot of trust in the Medina, Ohio native.
Since Allar was a freshman in high school, Arth told Steelers.com, he has watched him grow and develop in the position while he coached at Akron. One of the most notable things for Arth when watching Allar is his build and throwing ability. He said Allar has "an effortless arm" and he doesn't get enough credit for the athleticism he posseses.
Allar has worked on his footwork since getting to Pittsburgh's facility for rookie mini-camp and has had time training alongside Howard since May as well. Arth also told Steelers.com in the spring that working under Rodgers has been great for the entire quarterback room.
Allar doesn't have the pressure of being thrown in as the starting quarterback right away, meaning he'll have time to learn and grow behind a well-decorated veteran in the NFL before it's his time to shine. He wasn't the star Penn State hoped, but with the right guidance, he can succeed at the professional level.
Other quarterbacks from this past draft who have signed their rookie deals are former Indiana Hoosier and Las Vegas Raider Fernando Mendoza (Round 1, No. 1 overall), former Miami Hurricane and Arizona Cardinal Carson Beck (Round 3, No. 65 overall), and former Clemson Tiger and New York Jet Cade Klubnik (Round 4, No. 110 overall).
Klubnik was the first to sign his contract, doing so on May 7, and both Mendoza and Beck signed theirs earlier this week. Former Alabama Crimson Tide and Los Angeles Ram Ty Simpson is the only drafted quarterback who has not signed. Simpson was a surprise Round 1 draft pick, going No. 13 overall this past April.
Add us as a preferred source on Google