HEADLINES

Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Steelers

September 1st, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Alex Smith the opposing quarterback in the Steelers’ most recent playoff win, the team had set up camp as perhaps the NFL’s lead middle-class resident. The Steelers spun their wheels at quarterback following Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement, missing on Kenny Pickett and seeing its bargain-basement Russell Wilson/Justin Fields setup deliver predictably modest returns. The franchise’s long-held hesitancy about splashy outside acquisitions also persisted during Omar Khan‘s first years at the helm; that changed noticeably this offseason.

The Steelers operated aggressively on the trade front, extending D.K. Metcalf and Jonnu Smith upon acquiring them and taking on nearly $20MM in Jalen Ramsey money. While another T.J. Watt megadeal transpired weeks after the Dolphins swap, the team’s early-June agreement with Aaron Rodgers — after months of stalling on the future Hall of Fame QB’s part — represents the most important move for the 2025 team’s outlook. Will the high-action offseason finally move the needle for a franchise that continues to end seasons in the wild-card round?

Trades:

A draft-and-develop receiver factory, the Steelers showed signs of a stripe change last year when they inquired about several pass catchers — most notably Brandon Aiyuk — via trade. The team had trade parameters worked out with the 49ers on Aiyuk, who was interested throughout the saga despite the Steelers not reaching the $30MM-per-year price point the Patriots had. Aiyuk recommitting to San Francisco changed Pittsburgh’s plan, and after Mike Williams did not accomplish much in what turned out to be his final season, the Steelers dedicated the early part of their offseason to a legitimate upgrade.

While a Deebo Samuel rumor circulated, the Steelers aimed higher. Samuel has an All-Pro season on his resume, but Metcalf has been the steadier option. The Steelers’ monthslong WR trade quest included checking in on Metcalf with the Seahawks before the 2024 deadline; Seattle balked then. Months later, Metcalf requested a trade. In the same week, Seattle unloaded 2020s pillars Metcalf and Geno Smith. The Chargers and Texans came up as preferred Metcalf destinations. The Steelers including a second-round pick in their offer sealed the deal.

Rather than renting Metcalf and evaluating his fit in Arthur Smith‘s offense, the team paid up by giving the two-time Pro Bowler an extension that ranked third among wide receivers at the time. Months later, Metcalf is the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid wideout.

He had sought a $30MM-plus-AAV deal upon requesting a trade, and a Steelers team not known for big investments in its own receivers — let alone other teams’ — stepped up. Metcalf received nearly a $10MM-per-year raise, following A.J. Brown (and now Terry McLaurin) as 2019 WR draftees to land a lucrative third contract.

Metcalf’s $60MM fully guaranteed also ranks fourth among receivers. The Steelers kept their non-Roethlisberger/T.J. Watt guarantee precedent here by refusing to guarantee any of Metcalf’s post-2026 salary, splitting his full guarantee between 2025-26 salaries and a $30MM signing bonus. The Steelers have some flexibility beginning in 2027, when roster bonuses begin to appear in the contract. If rostered on Day 5 of the ’27 league year, Metcalf will see a $6.5MM roster bonus. Day 5 of the 2028 and ’29 league years will provide a $5MM roster bonus.

Although short-term second contracts for Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster commenced, the Steelers have only awarded Antonio Brown and Hines Ward long-term deals at receiver this century. Metcalf breaks stride due to being a six-year Seahawk, but the Steelers spent most of 2024 trying to add an outside hire here. They paid up to do so a year later.

Certainly more good than great, Metcalf is 2-for-6 in Pro Bowl nods and 3-for-6 in 1,000-yard seasons. While not proving himself a high-ceiling player, Metcalf has some prime years left. He is going into an age-28 season, having shown plus durability throughout his career. Metcalf has missed just three career games. The Ryan Grubb offense did not prove beneficial to the former second-rounder, who posted a 992-yard year in 2024. Mike Tomlin played a key role in recruiting Metcalf, as he did Aiyuk, and Metcalf in turn attracted Rodgers to Pittsburgh.

At the time the Steelers acquired Metcalf, Pickens was still on the roster. A future with both was technically possible, but it does not sound like Pittsburgh wanted to remain in business with its latest mercurial wideout. Pickens follows Brown, Chase Claypool, Martavis Bryant and Santonio Holmes as modern-era Steeler WRs traded during their rookie deals. Even though Pickens and Metcalf overlapped, the Steelers decided after last season they were going to get out early on the talented WR.

Rumblings about a separation emerged in January, thought it was not known if Pickens would follow the likes of Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders as WR talents who merely played out their rookie deals before leaving in free agency. Trade rumors surfaced during draft week, however. The Packers were mentioned as a suitor, but the Steelers held tight during the draft. The post-draft period does not regularly bring trades; the Cowboys were unconcerned with trade timing, as it turned out, this offseason.

Omar Khan said the Cowboys reached out post-draft, and the team will pair Pickens with CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys trading for Pickens and then unloading Micah Parsons is a rather interesting transaction log. Only going into his age-24 season, Pickens has a significant opportunity to impress after being the Steelers’ No. 1 target for much of his rookie deal. It is now quite possible he will be on a third team in three years after the 2026 free agency period, though a franchise tag — particularly with Parsons in Wisconsin — will be in play.

Attitude issues, which are not new for a Steelers wide receiver, affected the team’s view of the 2022 second-round pick. And a summer report pegged Pittsburgh as not deeming Pickens and Rodgers as an ideal partnership. Depleting a receiving corps before the QB had even committed is an interesting move, and big questions about Roman Wilson‘s viability as a WR2 — after a five-snap rookie season — exist.

The Steelers did add a weapon for Rodgers, but it involved the tight end room. Smith also became the third name in the Ramsey-Fitzpatrick swap. After acquiring a disgruntled Fitzpatrick in Year 2 of his rookie deal, as the Dolphins used 2019 as a teardown mission, the Steelers sent him back to Miami at 28. Ramsey enters the picture at 30, coming after yet another instance of the likely Hall of Fame-bound corner wearing out his welcome with a team.

Obtaining Ramsey for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long in 2023, the Dolphins generally received solid play from the three-time All-Pro. Ramsey missed nearly half the 2023 season after knee surgery but played 17 games last year. Pro Football Focus graded the versatile cover man 11th among CB regulars in 2024, but Ramsey became unhappy in Miami.

A clash with Mike McDaniel and general discontent with the state of the Dolphins was believed to have irked Ramsey, though his reasoning for seeking an exit after two seasons is still not fully known. Despite a rumor pointing to Ramsey eyeing another West Coast move, the Steelers became a suitor.

The extension the Dolphins gave Ramsey last summer limited his trade market. Teams were believed to have balked at taking on too much of Ramsey’s 2025 compensation, but Chris Grier — despite yet another instance of the GM catering to a star player with an early extension or guarantee package — did well on this trade.

The Dolphins are only picking up $7MM of Ramsey’s 2025 tab, leaving the Steelers with $19.6MM. Ramsey’s three-year, $72.3MM extension runs through 2028, and the Dolphins took on the dead money (a non-QB-record $35.68MM). The Steelers cutting Ramsey during one of the next three offseasons, barring the corner securing yet another payday, would not bring any dead money.

Ramsey appears set for a hybrid role in Pittsburgh. The former Jaguars boundary defender began seeing extensive slot time with the Rams, logging 325 inside snaps in 2021 and 213 in 2022. After a perimeter role under Vic Fangio in 2023, Ramsey saw 185 slot snaps last season. He still played mostly on the boundary, which will be something to monitor here. But the Steelers could best utilize their top three corners by playing Ramsey inside more; that would leave room for Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay outside.

Fitzpatrick moved himself toward at least the Hall of Fame fringe with three first-team All-Pro seasons (2019, 2020, 2022), helping the Steelers remain a top-tier defense for most of his Pennsylvania stay. The dynamic safety intercepted 17 passes from 2019-22 and just one between the 2023 and ’24 seasons. The Steelers used Fitzpatrick closer to the line of scrimmage frequently in 2023, but even after a return to more of a deep safety role last season, his playmaking did not increase. The Steelers determined a $22MM 2025 cap hit was not worth what Ramsey (and Smith) could bring.

Pittsburgh gave Fitzpatrick a then-safety-record four-year, $72.99MM extension in 2022. Two years remain on the deal. The Steelers took on just $6.86MM in dead money by dealing the eighth-year vet. Lower-cost cogs DeShon Elliott and Juan Thornhill are set to work as the first-string safeties. This could bring a substantial downgrade, but the expected cornerback improvement may offset it to a degree.

This will be Jonnu Smith‘s third time playing for Arthur Smith, the former Titans OC and Falcons HC. Two years after Atlanta traded for Jonnu, Pittsburgh was connected to yet another Smiths reunion in May. Although Jonnu Smith-Dolphins extension talks occurred and the veteran tight end — who had been attached to a two-year, $8.4MM deal agreed to shortly after his 2024 Falcons release — expressed a desire to stay in Miami. A trade came together a month later, with the Steelers readier to pay the resurgent tight end than the Dolphins, who operated more conservatively this offseason.

Chock full of tight ends thanks to the presences of Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward, Jonnu Smith completes an interesting set. With the Steelers light at receiver beyond Metcalf, plenty of two-TE sets figure to emerge. Jonnu improved on his 2023 bounce-back season under Arthur (50 catches, 582 yards, three TDs) with a banner Miami slate (88/884/8). The 30-year-old TE’s cap hit will rise from $5.13MM in 2025 to $10.87MM in 2026.

Extensions and restructures:

The cost of Watt’s extension began to rise when Maxx Crosby started the offseason edge rusher market boom, but the price crystalized after the Browns convinced Myles Garrett to rescind his trade request with a $40MM-per-year extension. While Garrett’s deal reset the market, the Steelers were smart to hammer out a Watt deal when they did. Had Pittsburgh waited until September like they did in 2021, the contract would assuredly have been pricier thanks to the Packers’ Micah Parsons windfall.

Unlike in 2021, Watt skipped minicamp. Plenty of rumors pegged the sides as far apart — particularly on guarantees — but a Steelers organization that does not negotiate in-season beat its self-imposed deadline by nearly two months.

Trade rumors became part of this process, but it never appeared anything was close. Watt’s slower finish (after a torrid start) last season was believed to factor into the Pittsburgh negotiation, but with the team in Year 4 without franchise-QB money on the books, flexibility existed. It took a monster guarantee package to seal this deal, though. Considering the Steelers are 1-10 without Watt since his 2017 arrival, the ninth-year sack ace carried notable leverage in his second round of extension talks.

At the time of signing, Watt’s $108MM fully guaranteed sum checked in $20MM higher than Garrett’s. This was a particularly impressive score by Watt’s camp, considering Garrett is signed through 2030; the all-time Steelers great’s deal only runs through 2028. Receiving such a substantial portion of a third contract fully guaranteed without a longer-term commitment illustrates how highly Watt is valued in Pittsburgh.

Like the Bengals and Packers, the Steelers do not make a habit of post-Year 1 guarantees. As they did in 2021, however, the Steelers bent for Watt on this crucial front. Watt sought guarantees into Year 4 of the deal. While that proved unrealistic, scoring fully guaranteed salaries in 2026 and ’27 (when the future Hall of Famer will be 33) represented impressive negotiating.

Watt is the only NFLer to finish with three sack titles (2020, 2021, 2023). J.J. Watt is the only player to post multiple 20-sack seasons; his younger brother will continue taking aim at the feat in Pittsburgh.

A lower-profile extension — but perhaps a telling one, given the Steelers’ offseason path at safety — transpired before the Watt deal. An ex-Ravens draftee who played sidekick to Fitzpatrick in 2024, Elliott received a raise on a through-2027 contract. The Steelers became the fourth team to employ Elliott, adding the former Dolphins and Lions starter last year. After 14 Pittsburgh starts, the 28-year-old defender secured a decent guarantee.

Elliott’s PFF grades have been consistent throughout his career; the advanced metrics site ranked him 27th among safety regulars last season. More will be on the seventh-year vet’s shoulders in 2025, with Fitzpatrick out of the picture.

A UDFA success story, Warren was retained on a second-round RFA tender ($5.35MM) that narrowly eclipsed Najee Harris‘ Chargers base value. The pass-down option/three-year Harris complement should maintain an extensive role this season, and the Labor Day extension affirmed Warren’s importance to the Steelers.

Rather than an audition year in an age-27 season, Warren will stay and perhaps lead the way in the backfield this season — before potentially sliding into a Kaleb Johnson complementary role down the road. Warren will earn more than $7MM in 2025, doing well to collect a $5.95MM signing bonus to go with his base salary. With Harris and James Conner leaving after one contract and the Le’Veon Bell mess producing two franchise tags (one unsigned), this is the first multiyear Steelers RB extension since Willie Parker in 2006.

Warren’s most recent full season (2023) brought 1,154 scrimmage yards and a fourth-place ranking in rush yards over expected (148). After missing early-season time due to injury last year, Warren has earned some trust thanks to a three-year role. The Johnson third-round pick had slotted Warren as Pittsburgh’s RB priority, but he will be retained as at least a high-end sidekick option for a team seemingly headed toward rebooting around a rookie-QB deal in 2026.

Free agency additions:

A marriage of convenience is set to unfold in Pittsburgh. Rodgers had effectively let it be known he preferred to end up in Minnesota or Los Angeles; the Steelers wanted to either re-sign Justin Fields or add Matthew Stafford in a trade. Option C for both parties figures to bring one of the more interesting QB fits in modern NFL history.

A quarterback with a late-career drama penchant joins an old-school organization with an established head coach. Mike Tomlin will be far more difficult for Rodgers to overpower compared to Robert Saleh, but this will be a lead NFL storyline to monitor this year. That said, Tomlin’s presence helped convince Rodgers to postpone retirement for one more year.

The Giants and Raiders became the lead Stafford suitors, while the Steelers stood down. Pittsburgh also spoke with Joe Flacco and kept Kirk Cousins on its radar. With would-be target Sam Darnold drawing a three-year, $100.5MM Seahawks offer and Stafford seeking a $50MM-per-year deal, the Steelers did not appear to be in those races long. Once the Vikings bowed out on Rodgers in March, the Rodgers-to-Pittsburgh path cleared. Minnesota building around J.J. McCarthy left Rodgers with two real options (as he did not want to join the Giants, who submitted the best offer): Steelers or retirement.

Contract parameters were in place before Rodgers’ late-March visit. Despite declining play since his 2021 MVP season, Rodgers still had a willing suitor — one he strung along for nearly three months. Rodgers putting off joining this eager suitor until days before minicamp looks to have rankled some in the organization, as rumors about internal doubt surfaced. Elliott and Cameron Heyward also questioned Rodgers’ fit due to the QB dragging his feet. But the sides are in business together for an expected one-and-done.

For better or worse (assuredly better for NFL content), Rodgers is in Pittsburgh for what he expects to be his last season. The list of QBs to remain preferred starters past their 42nd birthdays stops at Tom Brady, though Warren Moon (1997 Seahawks) and Vinny Testaverde (2004 Cowboys) were primary starters at 41. Rodgers will turn 42 in December. He is coming off a 25th-place QBR season — three spots behind Russell Wilson — and ranked 26th in his final Packers campaign. QB-needy teams, however, viewed Rodgers as a better option than Wilson this offseason.

Rodgers did throw 28 TD passes compared to 11 INTs in his Jets finale, showing glimpses of his Packers version, but averaged 6.7 yards per attempt — tied for a career-worst figure. The Steelers are also parking him in an offense without a proven No. 2 receiver and behind an O-line featuring three 2024 draftees and a 2023 first-rounder (Broderick Jones) who has not shown much yet. Cynics could note this looks a lot like the 2023 Jets setup that crumbled after four plays, but a Steelers team with a perennially high floor bought in.

After whiffing on Kenny Pickett and seeing Wilson and Fields’ limitations last season, the Steelers are betting on Rodgers’ historic arm talent. It will be interesting to see if Rodgers tones down his antics, which landed him in regular headlines as a Jet, now that he is working for Tomlin and leading a veteran-laden team.

With Rodgers expected to retire in 2026 (though, here’s betting that process takes a while), the Steelers are preparing to dive back into the draft pool with a high-level investment. Rodgers as a means to punt on a shaky 2025 QB class makes sense, but plenty of pressure will be on the team to land a long-term answer next year.

Tomlin at least paid lip service to being OK with Rudolph reprising his late-2023 role as a starter, but the veteran’s contract suggests that was obviously never the plan. Rudolph did usurp Pickett, rising from QB3 to QB1 in 2023, and help the Steelers into the playoffs. Results were less impressive during his Titans one-off. The Steelers know what they have in the ex-Roethlisberger backup, who is entering his age-30 season. With Rudolph signed for two years, he could certainly be in place to groom a 2026 first-rounder.

The Steelers continue to buck league trends by deploying 30-something cornerbacks. Pittsburgh, which acquired Ramsey ahead of an age-31 season, signed Patrick Peterson at 33 in 2023 and had employed Joe Haden until his age-32 campaign. Under Tomlin, they also deployed Ike Taylor at corner until age 33 and William Gay at 32. Slay will bring an even older option, turning 34 before the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season wrapped.

Despite his advanced NFL age, Slay was a full-time starter for the championship Eagles outfit last season. Slay started 14 games and all four Philly playoff tilts, ranking as PFF’s No. 23 overall corner. The career-long boundary defender played under DC Teryl Austin in Detroit.

A Pro Bowler in 2022 and an alternate in 2023, Slay played a lead role on the Eagles’ Super Bowl LVII-qualifying team and has six Pro Bowls on his resume. Like Rodgers, Slay — whom the Eagles cut rather than pay out an option bonus — is expected to walk away after this season. He will be a rare modern-era 13th-year starting CB first.

Gainwell joins Slay in the cross-Pennsylvania migration. He served as the Eagles’ RB2 for three years, playing behind Miles Sanders, D’Andre Swift and Saquon Barkley. Gainwell gives the Steelers a fresh option, having taken only 280 handoffs in four seasons.

Harrison stepped in as Ravens insurance last year, replacing would-be Patrick Queen successor Trenton Simpson in Baltimore’s lineup. A 2020 third-round pick, Harrison started 34 games in Baltimore. He profiles as an Elandon Roberts replacement alongside Queen, though Cole Holcomb — after a substantial pay cut — made the 53-man roster after missing all of 2024 due to injury.

Re-signings:

Miller and Skowronek reside as backup options, each making the 53-man roster over Woods despite far less notable careers. Woods is 33, however, and did not impress in the preseason. Rodgers influenced the Jets to bring in ex-Packer teammates, as Allen Lazard‘s arrival predated Randall Cobb and Davante Adams signing on. Lazard was mentioned as a Steelers option in May, and Rodgers spoke with Odell Beckham Jr. — a player on his 2023 Jets wish list — despite the injury-prone wideout’s unproductive Dolphins year. With an aging Rodgers needing better WR investments than he did in Green Bay, Pittsburgh rumors here likely will not die down for a while.

Notable losses:

Wilson’s gradual descent, aside from the heavily Nathaniel Hackett-influenced 2022 debacle, continues to come with acceptable stats. But the Seahawks, Broncos and Steelers have moved on in three of the past four years. This marked a seeming reversal on Pittsburgh’s part. Extension buzz circulated as Wilson had the 2024 squad at 10-3. It slowed to a crawl after the ensuing five-game losing streak. After the Ravens’ one-sided wild-card win, a Fields-over-Wilson stance formed.

Tomlin’s decision — made over objections in the building — to bench Fields once Wilson’s balky calf healed was believed to have impacted the younger passer’s call to test free agency. The Steelers’ 30-plus-year avoidance of in-season negotiations left them a truncated timetable to re-sign Fields, and when it became clear the dual-threat QB would test the market, Pittsburgh needed to scramble for a free agent or trade option.

This was not the team’s initial preference, as flexibility became required once Fields began to waver on Pittsburgh. The team did talk terms with Wilson, but it became clear their 11-game 2024 starter was a backup plan. The gradual humbling of a player who once appeared a near-lock for the Hall of Fame continued.

Fields’ decision to spurn Steelers interest will come up again plenty this week, with the Jets — who gave the inconsistent passer/elite runner a two-year, $40MM deal ($30MM guaranteed) hours into the legal tampering period — being the Week 1 opponent.

Neither Wilson nor Fields was an above-average option last season; the former’s contract and latter’s trade — a sixth-rounder due to playing-time conditions not being met — price pointed to unremarkable returns. Wilson, 36, needed to wait multiple weeks to sign. He continued to express a desire to stay in Pittsburgh, and a 16:5 TD-INT ratio with minimal weaponry was certainly not a bad season. But Wilson was stuck waiting behind Rodgers. It took a Giants team Rodgers rebuffed to end Wilson’s free agency stay, via a one-year, $10.5MM bridge deal.

Harris said he knew late last season he would not be back in Pittsburgh. The four-time 1,000-yard back did bring excitement, but he proved durable — during his Pittsburgh stay, at least — after not missing a game. Harris’ market not topping $6MM, as he signed a one-year Chargers deal worth $5.25MM, represented a telling sign of the team’s interest in retaining the 2021 first-round pick. Harris is not a Week 1 lock after the July 4 fireworks accident relegated him to the active/NFI list throughout Bolts camp.

Pittsburgh’s O-line will be far less experienced this year, making it interesting an immobile QB will play behind it. That said, Wilson and Fields take sacks at a historic rate. That impacted Moore’s sacks-allowed numbers, and teams were undeterred by them. The Titans outbid the Patriots and others for Moore, who is now the NFL’s 10th-highest-paid left tackle.

Tennessee gave the four-year Pittsburgh starter $42MM guaranteed at signing on a deal averaging $20.5MM per year. Moore benefited from Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson being taken off the market early and was one of free agency’s big winners.

Moore’s exit leaves Broderick Jones at LT. The 2023 first-rounder did not impress at RT, for the most part, and the team will entrust the former No. 14 overall pick to protect Rodgers’ blind side. Jones’ shift will clear a spot for 2024 first-rounder Troy Fautanu, whose arrival pointed to a Moore 2025 exit. After Fautanu missed his rookie year, the Steelers will see their hopeful long-term tackle tandem in action. Hopes are probably higher for Fautanu than Jones at this point.

Second in pass block win rate in an abbreviated 2024 season and ninth during a full 2022 slate, Daniels said before last season he did not expect to re-sign with the Steelers. The Achilles tear the three-year Pittsburgh starter sustained in Week 4 hurt his market, as a three-year, $24MM Dolphins deal arrived (one light on guarantees).

The team is going with 2024 fourth-round pick Mason McCormick, whom PFF slotted 54th among guards last season. Improvement should be expected in Year 2, but with Zach Frazier also a second-year cog at center, the Steelers will likely need to lean on LG Isaac Seumalo‘s experience up front.

Draft:

On draft week, a report indicated the Steelers viewed the 2025 or ’26 first rounds as the window to grab a quarterback. Considering the disparity between how the two QB classes are viewed, skepticism existed about the Steelers’ willingness — especially after Art Rooney II doubled down on an expectation Rodgers would join the team — to make that move at No. 21.

Despite Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders being on the board, Pittsburgh indeed passed. It took the Steelers until Round 6 to grab a quarterback, and Howard is already on IR after suffering a broken finger early in training camp.

The Steelers were believed to have placed a first-round grade on Dart, and Tomlin was mentioned pre-draft as a Sanders fan. Peak smokescreen season points teams in varying directions. As it turned out, the Steelers were among the teams to take Sanders off their board during the Colorado QB’s poor approach to the pre-draft process. The Giants correctly guessed the Steelers would leave Dart on the board for them, deeming it unnecessary to trade in front of them. The Steelers bolstered their defense with Harmon, whom they had hosted on a “30” visit.

Profiling as a long-term replacement for Cameron Heyward, Harmon will first learn from the 15th-year veteran. The interior disruptor at Oregon and Michigan State, Harmon is the first D-lineman the Steelers have drafted in Round 1 since Heyward. After a five-sack, 11-TFL 2024 season, Harmon was viewed as a first-round lock.

He will be expected to team with Heyward and Keeanu Benton up front, but an MCL sprain will delay the rookie’s debut. The Steelers did not view Harmon’s recovery timetable as lengthy enough to warrant an IR-return slot, so fans should not need to wait long to see their old-school/new-school D-end duo line up together.

The team also met with Johnson, whom both Daniel Jeremiah and Dane Brugler rated as a top-55 prospect in the draft. No. 44 on Brugler’s The Athletic big board, Johnson was nevertheless the sixth running back to hear his name called this year. A dominant junior season (a Big Ten-leading 1,537 rushing yards, 21 TDs) rocketed Johnson onto the Day 2 radar in a deep RB class. Even with Warren now extended, Johnson — as the team’s highest non-Harris RB draftee since Le’Veon Bell (2013) — will be a key part of Pittsburgh’s future at this position.

Other:

Tomlin non-hot-seat posts are a near-annual PFR staple, making it unsurprising the Bears were denied permission to meet with the 19th-year Steelers HC amid their expansive search. Tomlin, 53, takes plenty of heat for his worsening playoff record (now 8-11, no wins since 2016) but few coaches in NFL history have brought a higher floor.

Tomlin’s eighth Steelers contract runs through the 2027 season; he has passed Bill Cowher for Steelers duration but needs to reach Year 23 to tie Chuck Noll. Even with Tomlin on a year-to-year arrangement, the historically patient Steelers appear nowhere close to considering a firing.

The other Steelers power broker enjoyed a more eventful offseason. As bigger swings for outside talent ensued, Khan received backing from ownership via an extension announced days after the Jalen Ramsey/Jonnu Smith trade. Showing a greater willingness to dole out notable contracts to outside hires than predecessor Kevin Colbert, Khan has now overseen three Steelers offseasons (he was hired after the 2022 draft). While the Steelers have hovered off the Super Bowl contender tier under their current GM, the team remains a playoff fixture.

The longtime Steelers cap czar oversaw easily the most eventful offseason of his tenure, with Rodgers and Metcalf joining the two Dolphins as big-ticket acquisitions. This came after endless receiver rumors emerged in 2024. How this year’s O-line — which now holds five Khan-acquired starters — performs will be important to judging the GM’s draft acumen. Kenny Pickett does not count against Khan technically, even as he was in the organization during Colbert’s final draft, but how the Steelers handle their 2026 QB search will be Khan’s most important task through four years on the job.

Heyward, 36, signed an extension coming off a down year. He agreed to a two-year, $29MM add-on. But he then became the oldest D-lineman to post a first-team All-Pro season since Reggie White and Bruce Smith did so (at ages 37 and 35, respectively) in 1998. Building a Hall of Fame case over the back half of his career like Jason Kelce and Trent Williams, Heyward now has four first-team All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowls — all since 2017. Heyward and T.J. Watt represent one of the great inside-outside pass-rushing duos in the sack era, but the Steelers have contract policies they only break in extreme circumstances.

Seeing far less proven D-tackles collect big paydays this offseason, Heyward has been bumped down to third-tier status on that market. Not only did proven younger players like Zach Allen, Alim McNeill and Zach Sieler lap Heyward’s current deal, contract-year wonders Milton Williams and Tershawn Wharton passed him as well. Heyward sits 23rd for DT AAV, but the Steelers do not renegotiate deals with multiple years remaining.

The 2016 Antonio Brown rework showed some flexibility, in the form of a single-year raise, but time is running out due to Pittsburgh’s Week 1 negotiating shutdown. Heyward said he would be willing to miss games, but he ended a brief hold-in and is on track for the Steelers’ opener — with or without a raise. Will the cornerstone D-lineman make a final push to augment his deal?

Top 10 cap charges for 2025:

  1. T.J. Watt, OLB: $23.37MM
  2. Cameron Heyward, DL: $19.65MM
  3. Jalen Ramsey, CB: $19.5MM
  4. Alex Highsmith, OLB: $18.6MM
  5. Patrick Queen, ILB: $17.69MM
  6. Aaron Rodgers, QB: $14.15MM
  7. Pat Freiermuth, TE: $12.89MM
  8. D.K. Metcalf, WR: $11MM
  9. Isaac Seumalo, G: $10.19MM
  10. Darius Slay, CB: $10MM

The Steelers went to greater-than-usual lengths this offseason to shake things up in hopes of leaving their upper-middle-class confines. Skepticism about Rodgers’ 2025 capabilities have understandably emerged, but the Steelers will attempt to pair the QB icon with a high-priced defensive core that has regularly given lesser passers playoff access.

Breaking into the AFC’s top tier may be unrealistic given the proven contenders residing in Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore. And the Bengals-Texans-Broncos-Chargers contingent features ascending quarterbacks who have already led their teams to the playoffs. A playoff win would represent a successful Steelers season, even if the franchise will aim higher. Rodgers is certainly one of the most fascinating stopgap QBs in NFL history. Will this provide a better ending to his career or follow the Jets’ mistake as a footnote in a 21-year legacy?

The Steelers are betting they can coax enough from the likely 2031 Canton inductee to make their experienced defense a more formidable threat — after four straight playoff losses by double digits — come January. Either way, rumors connecting the team to the 2026 QB class will hover in the background of what will be one of the most interesting seasons in Steelers history.

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