PHOENIX — Mike McCarthy does not need his team to land a quarterback in his first NFL Draft as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers next month, but if they do, he just gave a big hint about what kind of player he might be looking for.
McCarthy continues to be fairly nonchalant about the decision being made by veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers on whether he wants to return — something the Steelers are clearly planning for.
He also has spoken positively of second-year prospect Will Howard , but McCarthy made it clear that if there's a player available that fits his criteria, he would not be opposed to adding a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"I'm hopeful there will be a quarterback there at the right time for us we can add to our roster," he said on Monday, speaking at the 2026 NFL Owners Meetings.
And when it comes to what kind of quarterback the Steelers might be looking for, McCarthy made it pretty clear that he has a type in mind.
"We know where we play and we know how we want to play," he said. "I had to change going from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Dallas, Texas on the expectations of how I think I can play with a quarterback, as opposed to how I know I can play. Granted, Brett Farve and Aaron Rogers are Hall of Fame quarterbacks. But they both have long arms. They both have 10-inch hands. If you win playoff games win in December — Ben Roethlisberger was the same way — your guy has gotta throw the ball better than the other guy in the big games."
"So when you go from that, to down to Dallas, you can play a little more wide open at home. Now I'm back in Pittsburgh. So a lot of my beliefs in how I want to train the team, what the team's going to look like, it's very similar to my time in Green Bay. And that directly reflects how I (evaluate) the quarterbacks. So it's really how I've always viewed the quarterbacks. …
"It's what are you into? Because you've got a lot of guys in the league that are probably 6-foot, that probably you know, in the old days, would not get drafted or be late picks. They're going in the first or second round. That's part of it. The rules of the game have changed. The quarterback run. It's really how do you want to play? What do you look for in a quarterback?"
McCarthy made it pretty clear that for playing home games outdoors in the winter at Acrisure Stadium, he's looking for a tall quarterback with long arms and big hands, and not necessarily prioritizing speed over side — which makes sense, considering the team choosing not to even pursue free agent quarterbacks like Malik Willis and Kyler Murray that are more well known for their rushing prowess.
That makes sense when you look at the quarterbacks that the Steelers have been connected to in the 2026 NFL Draft process so far. They talked to Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (6-foot-4 3/4, 9 7/8-inch hands, 32 3/4-inch arms) and Miami quarterback Carson Beck (6-foot-4 3/4, 10-inch hands, 30 5/8-inch arms) at the 2026 NFL Combine . They've had Beck and North Dakota State's Cole Payton (6-foot-2 3/4, 10 1/4-inch hands, 31 5/8-inch arms) in for pre-draft visits .
Those specs look good for Howard (6-foot-4 1/4, 9-inch hands, 32-inch arms), as well, and they probably rule out the Steelers looking too hard at undersized Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with pick No. 21 in the first round. Simpson checked in at 6-foot-1, with 9 3/8-inch hands and 30 7/8-inch arms.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Mike McCarthy Reveals What He's Looking for in Next Steelers QB
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