It is not a secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers need to make a splash at the quarterback position in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh does not know if Aaron Rodgers is going to return next season or not. If he does not return, Will Howard or someone not on the roster is going to be the starting quarterback for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers, TJ Watt
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) warms up for an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
One quarterback that Pittsburgh could potentially be eyeing on in the 2026 NFL Draft is Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson. Simpson a season ago with Alabama completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He is 6’2″ and weighs 208 lbs.
NFL Analyst Believes That the Pittsburgh Steelers Will Trade Up With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers For Ty Simpson
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March 25, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Quarterback Ty Simpson throws during Pro Day in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility at the University of Alabama.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the 15th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and the Steelers have the 21st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Bill Barnwell of ESPN thinks it’s very possible that Tampa Bay will trade back with Pittsburgh from 15 to 21. The Steelers here would jump the New York Jets for Simpson. The Buccaneers would also get a third and fourth round pick from the Steelers and Pittsburgh would also get a sixth-round pick in return as well. Barnwell said,
“The Steelers would be moving up here in an attempt to land Simpson. There’s a decent chance that they could land him at 21, but with the Jets picking at No. 16, general manager Omar Khan would have to be reasonably worried that New York would be willing to take the Alabama quarterback in the middle of the first round as opposed to waiting until the start of Round 2.
The rules roughly go out the window when teams are moving up for quarterbacks, but this wouldn’t even be an exorbitant price, with the Steelers ceding one of their three third-round picks and a fourth-round compensatory selection to jump ahead of the Jets. While there are those in Pittsburgh who are fond of sixth-round pickWill Howard, the Ohio State product hasn’t yet taken a preseason or regular-season snap. Simpson would slot in as the QB2 in 2026 behind a veteran, most likelyAaron Rodgers, before taking over as the long-term option for the Steelers in 2027.”
Well, drafting Simpson means that he is either going to sit a year behind Rodgers or start if Rodgers retires. Pittsburgh does not have a lot of options in how to address this situation, so trading up for a quarterback makes sense for them here and it wouldn’t matter to Tampa Bay if they traded back in the NFL Draft or not.
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