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The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Drew Allar out of Penn State as a potential quarterback of the future.
In the present, though, Allar still has some contract business to take care of.
As of Monday, July 20, Allar is one of only a handful of 2026 draft picks not to have signed his contract with his new team.
The list actually includes each of the first four QBs taken in the draft. Joining Allar in being unsigned are Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson and Carson Beck.
Allar was the fourth quarterback off the board, a third-round pick at No. 76 overall.
He entered his final college season as a potential first-rounder, but he slipped to the third round after a bumpy year that ended in injury.
The Steelers seemed happy to snag him there, and with Aaron Rodgers back, both Allar and Will Howard can learn from the future Hall of Famer.
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But why hasn't Allar signed his contract?
The most likely theory would be that he's trying to get more guaranteed money as part of the deal. There isn't a lot else that can be negotiated these days in what are pretty standardized rookie deals.
"There’s not much to negotiate," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote on Monday. "The dollars are set by a formula based on the draft slot. Pressure points in the past have related to signing bonus cash flow, voiding of guarantees, and offsets on guarantees."
It would be odd drama for this to drag out much longer for Allar, but it seems unlikely that that would be the case just based on precedent.
"Surely, all of the deals will get done," Florio writes. "Rookie holdouts are now very rare. But no deal is done until it’s done. And it’s getting a little glaring for the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft."
Beck was taken 11 picks before Allar, and they both might be waiting to see what the other's contract looks like before they sign. One of them is going to have to end up going first.
It shouldn't impact the Steelers long-term, but it's a little quirk as training camp approaches.
