The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
JEFF SMART FROM EUSTIS, FL: Now that the training camp schedule has been released, I've noticed a number of changes compared to recent past schedules. Can you tell us who is responsible for organizing training camp events, days, and the overall schedule?
ANSWER: When it comes to Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College, the schedule is determined by the head coach – this year by Mike McCarthy – and it is done in conjunction with the rules outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. And by the schedule, I mean the time of practice each day, when the players have an off day, and things such as that.
FRANK GATTO FROM SEAVILLE, NJ: I know it has been many years since Bill Cowher has been our coach, and I was wondering what his relationship with the Rooney family is, and has he ever been invited to past training camps?
ANSWER: Bill Cowher has an excellent relationship with the Rooney family, and it has been that way dating all the way back to when he was hired to follow Chuck Noll on Jan. 21, 1992. Just as I feel certain Cowher would be welcome to attend training camp in Latrobe for anything at any time, I feel just as certain that he would have very little interest in doing so.
- Download and listen to the Asked & Answered Podcast here: Apple Podcast | Spotify
NICK MOSES FROM SIMI VALLEY, CA: Does the Steelers waiting on, and eventually re-signing Aaron Rodgers, mean they think they will compete for a championship this year? Because while I would love nothing more, that feels so utterly far-fetched given what they have looked like in recent years. I can't help wondering what the Steelers brass is doing here?
ANSWER: What the "Steelers brass" is doing this year is the same thing it has done every year, and that is to try compete to win a championship. As President Art Rooney II said back in January, "I'm not going to say, well, we're going to take a couple of years to figure this out, and then we'll try to compete. I think you try every year, and as I said, some years you have the horses to really get there, some years you don't. But you try every year, in my view … The standard is try to compete to win a championship every year." And if you cannot see that signing Aaron Rodgers is their best path to that goal in 2026, then there obviously is nothing I can write here that's going to convince you.
JAMES PARKER FROM PINSON, AL: Based on your answer in the Asked and Answered on May 19, is there any scenario where we keep 4 quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? If not, is there any trade capital there with Will Howard or Drew Allar?
ANSWER: "Any scenario?" None that I can think of right now, because the Steelers are not going to treat the 2026 season as a months-long quarterback of the future training exercise. As for trading Will Howard or Drew Allar, the only way there might be some interest from other teams – other than a conditional third day pick – would be if one of them is very productive during the preseason. And if that would happen, I would imagine the Steelers wouldn't be interest in a trade.
DAVID LUCE FROM HENDERSON, KY: If a player is on the practice squad, is he required to play for a team that recruits him off said practice squad, or can he refuse and stay with the original team? I guess the same question applies to players who are placed on waivers.
ANSWER: If a player is placed on waivers and he is claimed by another team, that player either reports to the team that claimed him or he doesn't play for any other team in the NFL. A player on a practice squad is not required to leave his original team for another, but it would make no sense for him to refuse. That's because said player would be going from the practice squad of one team to the active roster of another team, and the active roster means a significant increase in pay. And by significant, I'm talking about a range of $13,750-$22,850 per week for the practice squad to $49,167-$72,223 per week for the active roster. Plus, being on a team's active roster is much more significant in advancing an individual's NFL career vs. time on a practice squad.
GREG SCHINDLER FROM AKRON, OH: Seems we have put a lot into the offensive line and definitely new additions to the defensive line, which always seem to be keys to success. With the added talent and an experienced defense why do you think so many "experts" feel we will be lucky to place third in the AFC North?
ANSWER: To be completely honest, I don't spend any time at all thinking about why "experts" think the way they do and the opinions accompanying that "thinking." But since you ask, my guess would be: c-l-i-c-k-b-a-i-t. My suggestion would be: don't fall for it.
NICK MITCHELL FROM GLEN-LYON, PA: Why would the Steelers hire a defensive coordinator who was part of a last place team and got scored on all year?
ANSWER: Maybe it was to repeat history, because in 1992 Bill Cowher hired a secondary coach who had been the defensive coordinator of a team that finished 3-13 in 1991 and allowed 435 points with a defense that ranked 28th in the 28-team NFL; and then in 2004 he re-hired the same guy who was coming off a 3-year stint as a head coach whose team had a combined 12-36 record. That hire: Dick Lebeau.
SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: Everyone is thinking quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, and I completely understand. But what does our special teams coach and outlook look like early on? The team did lose a few key special teams players in the offseason.
ANSWER: I believe special teams is something that really cannot be judged until the pads go on, and even then it all probably doesn't come into any kind of focus until the preseason games start. What we do know is that the draft produced players such as CB Daylen Everette, FB Riley Nowakowski, and safety Robert Spears-Jennings, all of whom have the potential to develop into assets to the coverage teams. And then there was Kaden Wetjen, the fourth-round pick from Iowa who should have an immediate impact as a returner. Add in returning veterans Carson Bruener, Ben Skowronek, Payton Wilson, and Jack Sawyer who were the top 4 in special teams tackles for the Steelers in 2025, and the cupboard would seem to be far from bare.
RON FRY FROM TWO TOWNS EAST OF LENA, IL: It's common knowledge 'round here that Aaron Rodgers only re-signed because he wanted to play behind the great Gennings Dunker.
ANSWER: Thanks for the geography lesson, but I heard through the grapevine that the real reason Aaron Rodgers re-signed was because he was looking forward to another summer at Saint Vincent College and those regular trips through the drive-thru of The Meadows in Latrobe for frozen custard.
JESUS SADA FROM SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, MEXICO: I read that the Steelers' stadium name will be Acrisure until 2037. I don't have anything against the company, but I just feel the stadium name is a big part of fans' identity. As reference, Empower Field at Mile High, and GEHA at Arrowhead Stadium are two actual stadium names. Do you know if the Steelers ever considered keeping tradition and pride by naming the stadium Acrisure at Three Rivers?
ANSWER: As I see it, there is a significant difference between the name on the Broncos' stadium, the Chiefs' stadium, and Acrisure Stadium. Denver's facility was named Mile High Stadium before it took on the added Empower Field, and the same is true with Arrowhead Stadium before the addition of GEHA. In Pittsburgh, it was Heinz Field before Acrisure bought the naming rights in 2022, and Three Rivers Stadium was demolished on Feb. 11, 2001. The building you want to memorialize no longer exists, while that's not the case in Denver and Kansas City. And I disagree that a building's name "is a big part of fans' identity." It's what happens inside the stadium that holds a special place in the fans' hearts.
KEVIN ECKERT FROM STOW, OH: When teams host free agents, do they "roll out the red carpet," akin to a college athlete's recruiting trip? Fine dining, meet with VIPs, etc.? Do the Steelers have any particular routines they like to do when hosting free agents? Do you think these things can be a factor, or are the financials pretty much the sole determinant for signing free agents?
ANSWER: In professional football, I believe it's about the money when it comes to recruiting and signing free agents. And it's not just the total dollars in the contract offer, but it's the total guaranteed dollars in the contract offer.
