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PHOENIX, AZ — The Pittsburgh Steelers believe Aaron Rodgers is returning for another season. At least that’s what you can pick up from what they’re saying at the 2026 NFL League Meetings. And if not, they have their backup plans ready. Maybe they have another plan ready to put into place as well.

One thing became very clear speaking with head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan in Phoenix, Arizona – the Steelers are open to anything in the 2026 NFL Draft. And when they say anything, they mean anything.

McCarthy admitted to local media that he didn’t get to watch much of the college football season during the year because he was removed from the game. He believes that gave him “blinders” to be more open to the class than most who view it as weak.

At the beginning of the season, the 2026 class was looking pretty good. Today, many believe it has evaporated. For the Steelers, they aren’t looking at it that way and instead viewing it as finding the right prospect that fits what they want in a QB.

“To be honest, I think it’s what you want,” McCarthy said when asked about the class being viewed as weak. “I had to change a little bit, going from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Dallas, Texas, on the expectations of how I think I can play with a quarterback, as opposed how I know I can play. Granted, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers are Hall of Fame quarterbacks. They both have long arms. They both have 10-inch hands. To win playoff games and to win games in December, Ben Roethlisberger has to play in the cold weather. Your guys got tothrow better than the other guy in the big games. You got to try to put them in a positions to. So, when you go from that to Dallas, you can play more wide open at home.

“Now back to Pittsburgh. So now a lot of my beliefs and how I look at how I want to train the team and want the team look like, it’s very similar to my time in Green Bay. So, that directly reflects how I do the quarterbacks. It’s really how I’ve always used quarterbacks. I just think quarterbacks, it’s what are you into because you got a lot of guys in the League that are six foot that probably in the old days, would be late picks, going in the first or second round. So that’s part of the game. The rules of the game have changed. So, I think it’s really high-level play. What do you look for in a quarterback? I’m hopeful there will be a quarterback at the right time there for us to possibly add to our to our roster. Twelve picks, we want have a hell of class.”

That Quarterback Might Be Ty Simpson

The Steelers have spent time evaluating a few quarterbacks, including Ty Simpson out of Alabama. The only other expected first-round pick besides Fernando Mendoza could be sitting there at No. 21, and could fit into the team’s philosophy.

They’re ready to take best player available at a position of need. Teaming Simpson up with Rodgers means he would learn from a Hall of Fame quarterback and McCarthy in his first year. Then get an opportunity to prove his ability at the NFL level in his second season.

Simpson is viewed as the most pro-ready quarterback who spent the last few years learning in a pro style offense with the Crimson Tide.

While a little below average in size, standing 6-foot-1, 211 pounds with over 30-inch arms, Simpson doesn’t fit McCarthy’s long arm theory. But he does fit that belief that the NFL is changing, and that McCarthy is open to it.

Simpson has been a name mentioned within the Steelers organization since the NFL season ended. At the League Meetings, the biggest takeaway is that Rodgers is probably coming back, and that the team is open to all options with their 12 picks.

That includes a quarterback, which they plan to draft at some point. If Simpson is there at 21, he may be their choice.

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The New York Islanders had control of a pivotal game — until it all slipped away.

Holding a 3-1 lead midway through the second period, the Islanders unraveled in a stunning 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night, a result that could have major implications in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

What had been a composed, structured effort quickly turned chaotic.

Pittsburgh erupted for four goals in less than 6 1/2 minutes during the second period, flipping the game on its head and exposing defensive breakdowns the Islanders couldn’t recover from. Anthony Mantha led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Rickard Rakell added two goals of his own as the Penguins overwhelmed New York with wave after wave of pressure.

Even Sidney Crosby, returning from injury, made his presence felt as one of 15 Penguins skaters to record a point in a balanced offensive attack.

For the Islanders, it was a collapse that overshadowed what had been a strong start. New York built its 3-1 lead through timely offense and early control, but mistakes began to pile up — turnovers, missed assignments, and an inability to slow Pittsburgh’s transition game.

Ilya Sorokin, who has carried the Islanders for much of the season, had little help. After allowing seven goals on 28 shots, he was pulled in the third period, with David Rittich stepping in as the game got out of hand.

The defeat not only halted momentum but also shifted the standings. The Penguins leapfrogged the Islanders with the regulation win, moving ahead 90-89 and tightening an already crowded playoff picture.

For a team that has thrived in tight, one-goal games all season, this was the opposite — a game that got away quickly and decisively.

And with little time left, the margin for error is gone