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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers To Host WR Gabe Davis; No TE Jonnu Smith Trade Expected

June 3rd, 2025 at 9:48am CST by Adam La Rose

Gabe Davis‘ free agent tour will continue this week. The veteran wideout will next meet with the Steelers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Davis will fly to Pittsburgh tomorrow and visit the team on Thursday. That will mark his third known meeting with an interested team. The former Bill and Jaguar has taken a visit with the 49ers and Giants so far. Neither of those produced a deal, but in the case of at least New York, team and player have remained in contact.

With nothing imminent on either of those fronts, Davis will continue to gauge his market deep into the offseason. The 26-year-old expectedly departed Buffalo in free agency last year, but his debut campaign in Jacksonville did not go according to plan. Taking on $20MM in dead money in the process, the Jags’ new regime moved forward with a release last month (doing so with a failed physical designation).

Evaluating Davis’ knee will of course be a key aspect of his visits before signing a new deal. In the case of the Steelers, it comes as no surprise this meeting has been arranged. Pittsburgh is known to still be in the market for a pass-catching addition of some kind in the wake of the George Pickens trade. D.K. Metcalf will operate as the team’s new No. 1, with incumbents Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson in line to take on increased roles in 2025. Veteran Robert Woods has already been added via free agency, but with nearly $32MM in cap space the Steelers could easily afford another signing.

On another note, Schefter reports Pittsburgh is not expected to swing a trade for Jonnu Smith. The veteran tight end emerged as a potential target last week, and a swap sending him to the Steelers would allow for another reunion with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The presence of fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth for 2025 and beyond would make a Smith trade at least somewhat redundant, however. After a franchise-record campaign with the Dolphins in 2024, Smith’s preference is to remain in Miami.

With that appearing likely to be the case, Pittsburgh’s attention will return to the receiver spot in terms of adding a pass-catching presence. Depending on how this week’s visit goes, that move could turn out to be a Davis signing.

Steelers Have Submitted T.J. Watt Extension Offer?

June 2nd, 2025 at 9:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

With OTAs underway, T.J. Watt has yet to work out an extension agreement with the Steelers. At least one offer appears to have been made in this case, however.

During a recent episode of the Kaboly + Mack podcast, Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show reported that a “pretty significant” extension offer has been submitted to Watt (video link). It is unclear when it was made, but the offer is on the table at this point. Without a deal being signed, though, a gap clearly still exists between team and player in this situation.

Kaboly added it is unknown whether or not the current offer outpaces the extension Myles Garrett signed with the Browns this offseason. That four-year, $160MM pact ended speculation about his future in Cleveland – which was of course driven in large part by his trade request – and reset the edge rush market. Watt was once the league’s highest earner at the position, with that being the case for the first two years of his existing contract (four years, $112MM). A raise is in store once again, although it remains to be seen if surpassing Garrett’s deal will be required.

Team and player have expressed a desire to continue their relationship beyond 2025. That led to an expectation Watt would join the list of high-profile pass rushers receiving a new deal this offseason. The former Defensive Player of the Year remains a pending 2026 free agent at this point, though. Age (30) will be a key consideration in this case. Watt has nevertheless led the NFL in sacks three times since 2020 and has earned at least second-team All-Pro honors in five of the past six seasons.

The Steelers do not have a long history of committing guaranteed money beyond the first year of an extension for non-quarterbacks. Watt’s 2021 deal (signed days before the start of the campaign) represented an exception, but it will be interesting to see how far the team is willing to go on another monster extension. The seven-time Pro Bowler saw his sack total drop to 11.5 in 2024, and he was held off the statsheet in that regard for the team’s final four games last season.

An April social media post led to increased speculation about Watt’s situation, and he is among the veterans currently skipping OTAs while extension talks take place. Pittsburgh also has the likes of Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and – on a full-time basis starting this year – DeMarvin Leal as experienced pass rushers. Rookie Jack Sawyer will compete for a depth role in 2025, but much of the team’s success will depend on Watt’s production. That, in turn could be influenced by the nature of extension negotiations, a process which will clearly need to continue.

Steelers Moving DeMarvin Leal To OLB

June 1st, 2025 at 5:15pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After struggling to find a positional fit in the NFL, Steelers third-year defender DeMarvin Leal will likely move to outside linebacker in Pittsburgh this season.

Leal largely played as a jumbo-sized edge rusher in college at Texas A&M, but an uptick in interior snaps in his last season led to projections of a full-time switch in the pros. He added weight for such a role as a rookie, but bounced between interior and edge work in his first two years. Leal primarily played outside linebacker in 2024 before landing on injured reserve with a neck injury.

Now, the 2022 third-rounder is poised to make that move permanent. He has been lining up at outside linebacker at the Steelers’ OTAs, per Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show, and will likely slot in as a backup behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

Interestingly, Leal is “noticeably bigger” than last season, according to Kaboly. His weight has fluctuated somewhat since entering the league, but he is currently listed at 290 pounds on the Steelers’ website, which might not be up to date. Given his draft billing as an oversized edge defender, gaining weight to play OLB in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense doesn’t quite make sense, especially since Leal wasn’t already an elite athlete for his size.

Though he’s on the other end of the OLB weight spectrum, Highsmith has been mentoring Leal through his position switch.

“He got some experience as a rookie, and he has that experience from a couple of years ago that helps him be versatile,” said Highsmith (via Kaboly). “He is a guy who you try to continue to help to get better.”

Aaron Rodgers Yet To Offer Steelers Assurances Of 2025 Deal?

May 31st, 2025 at 9:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 2025 offseason has been filled with connections between Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. No signing has taken place yet, with nothing appearing to be imminent at this point.

Considering how Pittsburgh has handled the quarterback spot this offseason – reuniting with Mason Rudolph, not pursuing other starting-caliber free agents and waiting until the sixth round of the draft to add a rookie – many have assumed an agreement of sorts is in place between team and player in this situation. Rodgers himself hinted at that during his latest public remarks on the subject. However, it appears no assurances have been received in Pittsburgh’s case.

During a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Rodgers has “not affirmatively told the Steelers that he’s coming” (video link). Pittsburgh has clearly operated as though the 41-year-old will sign at some point, with owner Art Rooney II and head coach Mike Tomlin practicing patience for a decision to be made. Rodgers (who was at one point under consideration from the Giants and preferred to sign with the Vikings this spring) has not committed, at least publicly, to playing at all in 2025. The expectation still remains, though, that a Steelers deal is forthcoming.

The four-time MVP’s only free agent visit took place at the Steelers’ facility, and at least one contract offer has been made. Rodgers worked out with trade acquisition D.K. Metcalf earlier this offseason, one in which he has remained in contact with Tomlin. Each of those signs have contributed to the ongoing assumption he will handle starting duties for Pittsburgh in 2025 as the team prepares for a high draft investment next spring. That could still prove to be the case, but mandatory minicamp looms as a potential deadline for an official commitment to be made.

The Steelers have already begun OTAs with Rudolph – who was made aware of the possibility Pittsburgh could add an established starter in free agency – in the QB1 spot. Minicamp is set to begin June 10, and that could be seen as a point at which the team moves forward with its incumbent quarterbacks (along with, potentially, another veteran added late in the offseason). If the Steelers were to take that route, Kirk Cousins would increasingly become a name to watch.

As Rodgers’ offseason continues to include a pressing matter related to a member of his inner circle, May has come and gone without a Steelers deal coming to pass. A resolution on that off-the-field matter would presumably accelerate his decision, something which has apparently still not been explicitly been communicated to the team yet.

Dolphins, Steelers Exploring Jonnu Smith Trade; TE Seeking New Contract

May 29th, 2025 at 10:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

10:27pm: Smith isn’t the only offensive playmaker about whom the Steelers have inquired. The team has has “preliminary conversations” with multiple teams as they search for another weapon alongside Metcalf, per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Schultz’s report indicates that Pittsburgh will complete a trade in the coming months. After adding a third-rounder in the Pickens trade, the team now has eight selections in the 2026 NFL Draft with the potential to add four more via the compensatory pick system.

2:06pm: The Dolphins and the Steelers are exploring a trade that would send tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The trade talks stem from Smith’s desire for a new contract. He arrived in Miami on a two-year, $8.4MM last offseason and quickly outplayed his value with the best receiving numbers of his career and his first Pro Bowl selection. Smith led the Dolphins with 88 catches and eight receiving touchdowns, and his 884 receiving yards trailed only Tyreek Hill. Those numbers were also the best of any tight end in franchise history.

Smith is set to earn $4.1MM this year with additional money available via incentives, per OverTheCap, a bargain relative to his recent production. However, 2024 was his first year with more than 35 yards per game, so the Dolphins may not want to overpay for what could be an outlier season.

Enter the Steelers, who remade their pass-catching corps this season by trading for D.K. Metcalf and sending George Pickens – their leading receiver since 2022 – to the Cowboys. Pittsburgh did sign 2021 second-round tight end Pat Freiermuth to a four-year extension last September, but Smith was the more productive player in 2024. He ranked fifth among all tight ends with 1.95 yards per route run, while Freiermuth’s 1.42 YPRR ranked 20th, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Steelers’ lack of WR depth may encourage them to invest in another tight end, especially one who is so familiar with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Arthur Smith was the Titans’ tight ends coach when they drafted Jonnu Smith in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The former FIU standout started 25 games across his first two years, largely as a blocker, but became a bigger part of the passing game once Arthur Smith took over as offensive coordinator in 2019. Jonnu Smith started 28 games over the next two years, catching 76 of his 109 targets for 887 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. That earned him a four-year, $50MM contract with the Patriots, while Arthur Smith was hired as the Falcons’ head coach.

An underwhelming two years in New England led to Jonnu Smith’s release during the 2023 offseason. He reunited with Arthur Smith on a two-year, $15MM deal in Atlanta, where he posted career-highs with 50 receptions and 582 receiving yards in 2023. Despite his performance, Jonnu Smith was released after the season, likely because of Arthur Smith’s firing. Now, the two could be on the verge of another reunion that would allow the veteran coach to use his trademark two tight end formations.

However, Jonnu Smith would prefer to remain in Miami with a revised contract, per Schefter. If the Dolphins are unwilling to commit to him past this season, the two sides could find a middle ground via an increased salary, some new guarantees, and/or additional incentives to raise Smith’s earning potential.

T.J. Watt Absent From Steelers OTAs

May 28th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

T.J. Watt remains without a contract beyond 2025, and his situation is, therefore, still a talking point as the Steelers return to the facility. Pittsburgh’s Organized Team Activities began today, and the All-Pro edge rusher was, reportedly, not with the team.

According to Curt Popejoy of SteelersWire, Watt skipped the start of OTAs today. It is certainly no secret that the former Defensive Player of the Year has been in search of a new deal, a desire which the team has publicly reciprocated. One season remains on his contract, and Watt has already hinted at dissatisfaction with playing on a contract year this offseason.

Since both the Steelers (55) and Watt (22.5) led the NFL in sacks in 2021, Pittsburgh has put up middling sack numbers in each of the past three seasons. Part of that was due to an injury in 2022 that forced Watt to miss seven games, but it was still the case when Watt earned his third sack-title with 19.0 in 2023. Still, ever since his four-year, $112MM extension started in 2021, Watt has accounted for nearly a third of the team’s sack total. He’s also the only player in NFL history (since sacks became an official stat in 1982) to lead the league in sacks in a single season three times.

All this, just to underline how much Watt means to the Steelers’ pass rush. Without him, the team’s top returning sack-getters were Cameron Heyward (8.0), who just turned 36 years old, Alex Highsmith (6.0), and Nick Herbig (5.5). No other returning defender had more than one. Highsmith has flashed big potential in the past (14.5 sacks in 2022), but his output hasn’t been consistent enough for Pittsburgh to rely on him as their primary source of a pass rush in the future. The team also drafted Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer in this year’s draft, but expecting the fourth-rounder to eventually replace Watt is a lot to ask.

There really doesn’t seem to be much threat of the Steelers losing Watt at the moment, though. Despite a down year for Watt and the lack of an acceptable offer from Pittsburgh, both sides seem to want the same things. Per Popejoy, “Watt wants a new contract and a raise,” and “the Steelers want Watt to retire” in Pittsburgh. All that needs to happen, now, is for the two parties to find agreeable terms with which they can move forward.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

NFL Minor Transactions: 5/27/25

May 27th, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

We learned last week that the Cardinals were moving on from DL Ben Stille, and we’ve now got some clarity on his direct replacement on the roster. The team has signed Patrick Jenkins, an undrafted rookie out of Tulane. The defensive lineman got a look at Saints rookie minicamp but left without an offer. His showing at Tulane included 13 sacks and 28 tackles for loss.

Steelers Still Interested In Kirk Cousins

May 26th, 2025 at 11:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

The wait continues for Aaron Rodgers to make an official commitment to playing in 2025. Provided he does so, a deal sending him to the Steelers for at least one season remains the expectation around the league.

Rodgers has plenty of time to sign ahead of training camp (or in advance of next month’s mandatory minicamp), but before that takes place Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation carries uncertainty. One other option is still attainable this deep into the offseason, and the team is continuing to monitor that situation. The Steelers still have Kirk Cousins on their radar, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on a Sunday SportsCenter appearance (h/t Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells).

The Falcons have been open to trading Cousins for much of the offseason despite their stated willingness to keep him in place as an expensive Michael Penix Jr. backup. The four-time Pro Bowler’s preference would be a fresh start after only one year in Atlanta, but his contract represents an impediment to a trade taking place. $37.5MM in guaranteed money is owed over the course of the 2025 and ’26 seasons, and the Falcons are uninterested in retaining a large potion of that amount to facilitate a deal.

Early last month, Atlanta was reportedly asking suitors to absorb at least $20MM of Cousins’ 2025 salary for a trade to take place. To no surprise, that stance did not generate offers, although a list of interested teams remained in place just before the draft took place. The Steelers were among them, and they find themselves as the only team whose presumed starting quarterback is not already on the roster at this point.

Per Fowler’s report, a Cousins trade would have already taken place by now if the Falcons had been willing to absorb a portion (such as $7MM or $8MM) of his $27.5MM base salary for the coming season. They are clearly not prepared to do so, and that position is unlikely to change any time soon. The Browns and Vikings added to their QB depth charts during the draft (through the selection of rookies in one case, and a trade in the other). The Saints, meanwhile, are not aiming to make an outside addition in the wake of Derek Carr‘s retirement.

As a result, Pittsburgh will continue to be a team to monitor on the Cousins front. The 36-year-old is under contract through 2027 (although the Steelers could move on from him prior to that point), and he could be seen as a multi-year investment under center. Rodgers, by contrast, will likely represent a one-and-done addition presuming a contract agreement is eventually reached. Until and unless that happens, though, the Steelers will no doubt continue to keep tabs on Cousins’ availability.

Aaron Rodgers Pursuit Will Not Affect Steelers’ T.J. Watt Extension

May 25th, 2025 at 3:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

No deal is in place between Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, although one remains the expectation from all parties. Regardless of what takes place on that front, a lucrative T.J. Watt extension looms as a key priority for the team.

Watt entered this offseason as one of several high-profile edge rushers in line for a new deal. The likes of Myles Garrett (Browns), Maxx Crosby (Raiders) and to a lesser extent Danielle Hunter (Texans) have each landed a raise and additional term to their pacts this offseason. That leaves Watt in a group with Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson, as well as younger Cowboys and Lions stars Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson as names to watch regarding an extension.

Finalizing a Rodgers pact for 2025 represents a key goal as the Steelers look to add at least a one-year quarterback starter. To no surprise, though, that endeavor will have no bearing on Watt’s contract status. Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show reports the Rodgers and Watt situations have nothing to do with one another.

The latter has remained one of the league’s top sack artists throughout his eight years in Pittsburgh. Watt has collected a Pro Bowl nod every season since 2018, adding four first-team All-Pro nods along the way. The former first-rounder earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021, and after an injury-shortened campaign one year later he returned to his previous form with a league-leading 19 sacks. Watt managed another 11.5 in 2024, and he will be expected to remain a foundational member of the Steelers’ defense for years to come.

The 30-year-old is owed a base salary of $21.05MM in 2025, the final season of his pact. That figure is not guaranteed, though, and Watt is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $30.42MM as things stand. An extension containing new guarantees could lower his cap charges in the near future while ensuring a long-term partnership between team and player. That has publicly been the goal for both parties in this case, but an Instagram post from last month led to speculation Watt is unhappy with the state of extension talks.

No major developments have taken place since then, although Kaboly notes a contract averaging roughly $40MM per year – the new high mark for pass rushers – can still be considered “a matter of when” rather than if. The Steelers have Alex Highsmith as a fellow starter along with Nick Herbig and fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer in place for edge rush depth, but Watt will of course play a central role in determining if Pittsburgh’s production up front remains elite in 2025.

The Steelers currently have nearly $32MM in cap space, so plenty of room exists for a Rodgers pact. Even if funds are set aside for that, Pittsburgh could move forward with a new Watt agreement at any time, and finalizing a deal before the likes of Hendrickson, Parsons and Hutchinson sign would likely be beneficial for the team.

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