3 QBs the Pittsburgh Steelers could draft to replace Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly gave Aaron Rodgers until the 2026 NFL Draft in their home city to decide what he wants to do for the upcoming campaign.

Regardless of whether the future Hall of Famer wants to play for the Steelers in 2026, Pittsburgh needs to start looking ahead if it wants to return to the Super Bowl.

Or at least win a game in the playoffs.

They have Will Howard, who the Steelers like from Ohio State, but even if he is the starter for the upcoming campaign, that doesn't mean Pittsburgh can't bring in another young QB to add to the competition.

First off, they could use their first-round pick (or move up) to take Ty Simpson out of Alabama. He is the consensus No. 2 QB in this year's class behind Fernando Mendoza, and with the Raiders grabbing the Heisman Award-winner with the first pick, Simpson is going to be wanted by someone.

Simpson only started a single year with the Crimson Tide, though, so sitting him for a year or two could be the best option.

The second QB Pittsburgh could target is someone like Drew Allar. Huge arm. Can scramble with above-average athleticism. Big, prototypical NFL starter body.

He's everything you'd want in a QB without, you know, the results or consistency on tape to make you believe he's a franchise guy.

But he won't cost a first-round pick, and if you can get him on day two or even day three, Allar is a lottery ticket that could turn into the steal of the century if everything works out right with the Penn State signal-caller.

And finally, there's Cole Payton, the unknown. As always with North Dakota State QBs, he is a dual-threat, rough-and-tumble type of player who has a ton of physical upside, but the lack of competition masks what could be gigantic holes in his game.

Like his uniform as a Bison, he's as green as could be, but Payton might have one of the highest ceilings of any QB of the class if given the right treatment and time to grow.

If Pittsburgh is truly playing the long game, Payton might be that guy.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: 3 QBs the Pittsburgh Steelers could draft to replace Aaron Rodgers