Tag Archives: Tom Donahoe

Nick Herbig Extension Shows Steelers Drafting Has Turned a Corner

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Omar Khan kicked off minicamp by opening his checkbook as the Steelers re-signed Nick Herbig to a 4-year contract extension worth a reported 100 million dollars including over 40 million in guaranteed money.

The immediate focus of Steelers Nation is if and how Herbig’s new deal impacts the futures of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but the bigger picture behind Herbig’s extension is what it signals about the team’s direction.

Nick Herbig, Steelers vs Bengals

Nick Herbig strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Early Herbig Extension Signals End of Steelers Draft Drought

The Steelers drafted Nick Herbig in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s now entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Omar Khan opened the off season by listing Herbig as a player he wanted to re-sign before he reached free agency.

  • This is not something Steelers Nation is accustomed to — at least not in recent memory.

But once upon a time, things were different in Pittsburgh. In the spring of 1993, the NFL’s first year free agency, owners were tripping over themselves throwing money at players, trying to buy a Lombardi.

In Pittsburgh Dan Rooney and Tom Donahoe took a different approach, quietly extending players like Dermontti Dawson and Greg Lloyd who were entering the final years of their contracts.

  • That practice became standard Steelers operating procedure for the next two and a half decades.
  • But the maturation of the Steelers 2018 draft class marked a turning point.

Terrell Edmunds, Mason Rudolph, Chukwuma Okorafor, Diontae Johnson, Alex Highsmith and Pat Freiermuth were only the players from the Steelers 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 draft to get second contracts.

Alex Highsmith, Tom Brady, Steelers vs Buccaneers

Alex Highsmith strip sacks Tom Brady. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, HJ News.com

Highsmith, Freiermuth, Johnson and Rudolph were the only ones to the Steelers re-signed while they were still playing on rookie contracts, and out of that group only Highsmith and Freiermuth got long-term starter deals.

In contrast, the Steelers have already re-signed Herbig, and want to ink new deals with Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton and perhaps Darnell Washington this summer.

  • Word is they would have given Broderick Jones his 5th year rookie tender had he not been hurt.

Barring injury or an unanticipated regression, Omar Khan will likely take a similar approach with several members of the Steelers 2024 Draft class next spring.

The Steelers playoff drought started with the loss to the Patriots in the 2017 AFC Championship game. Their quality of their drafts dipped precipitously starting in 2018 and continued through the rest of Kevin Colbert’s tenure.

  • But Herbig’s early extension shows that the Steelers draft drought is over.

The Steelers not only have a draft pick going into his 4th year who is worthy of a long-term extension, hopefully Herbig is the first of many.

Let’s hope that Herbig and the rest of his draft class make some playoff rain with Mike McCarthy.

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4 Solutions to the Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart “Math” Problem

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If there’s one thing you can say about the internet, it’s that it is predictable. Aaron Rodgers signing ended the daily “Will HE? Or Won’t HE?” “updates” that bombarded us.

But now that Aaron Rodgers is in the fold, fretters still have to fret, so on comes the next “crisis,” namely the Steelers quarterback depth chart math problem.

Aaron Rodgers’ return gives the Steelers four quarterbacks, with veteran backup Mason Rudolph, second year man Will Howard, and 2026 3rd round draft pick Drew Allar.

How in the world will the Steelers manage 4 quarterbacks?

What kind of monster have Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy created for themselves…?

  • OR something like that. And it’s all nonsense.

The Steelers have dealt with this situation before, as recently as 2018, when they had Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph.

The answer to resolving this four quarterback quandary is the same now as it was then: Let reality unfold at its own pace.

With that understood, there are 4 possible outcomes, none of which should force anyone to fret.

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs in the spring of 2026

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs. Photo Credit: Alysa Rubin, Steelers.com

1. Attrition May Make Decisions for Mike McCarthy

Let’s be clear. No NFL coach or General Manager ever wants injuries to make decisions for him. But it happens all the time.

  • Omar Khan alluded to this in his post-draft press conference.

Even though quarterbacks don’t get hit in training camp, the Steelers have seen plenty of quarterbacks injured during the summer.

  • Summer injuries cost Charlie Batch both the 2004 and 2008 seasons.

The Steelers were planning to start Byron Leftwich during Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension in 2010, but Leftwich got hurt. Dennis Dixon started the season and got hurt, and up stepped Charlie Batch – So it was a good thing the Steelers had 4 quarterbacks at their disposal, wasn’t it?

A year later, the Steelers brought the same quartet to St. Vincents, only to have Dennis Dixon get injured and lost for the season – again, math problem solved.

Bruce Gradkowski got hurt in camp in 2015, leading Michael Vick’s stint with the Steelers. Depth is a luxury in the NFL, not a liability. Quarterback is no exception.

2. Let the Preseason Play Speak for Itself

Football isn’t like amateur wrestling, you can’t just wrestle off two quarterbacks to see who is better. But quarterback competitions can tell you a lot.

  • And right now, I’d guess that Mike McCarthy really wishes he was playing 4 preseason games.

[Cue the Dana Carvey-like Grumpy Old Man rant about how NFL errs by devaluing preseason.]

The upside to only having 3 preseason games is that Aaron Rodgers probably won’t play in any of  them, so it frees up reps for everyone else. That should be enough for Rudolph to get his feet wet with the McCarthy’s offense while giving the coaches a good look at Howard and Allar in varied situations.

Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, Steelers 4 quarterbacks

Can the Steelers keep 4 quarterbacks in 2018? Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Mike Tomlin let his 3 quarterbacks duke it out in summer of 2018 and at the end he decided to cut Landry Jones. Given that Jones was the only backup quarterback with NFL experience, the move raised eyebrows.

But Jones never threw another NFL pass, while Dobbs and Mason Rudolph have made a 34 NFL starts between them.

3. Steelers Have Kept 4 Quarterbacks Before. Why Not Again?

Keeping 4 quarterbacks is unorthodox. But it has been done before. The New England Patriots began the 1989 season with 4 quarterbacks on their active roster, and all four made starts.

The Steelers of course kept 4 quarterbacks in 1995, when they had Neil O’Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller and Kordell Stewart. Less well-remembered is 1999, when they did it again keeping Stewart, Tomczak, Pete Gonzalez, and Anthony Wright,. the Steelers “forgotten 4th quarterback.”

Anthony Wright, Steelers

Anthony Wright the Steelers forgotten 4th String Quarterback. Photo Credit: Peter Diana, Post-Gazette

The roster math behind 4 quarterbacks is certainly complicated here in 2026, but Mike McCarthy will have an easier time today than Bill Cowher and Tom Donahoe did in 1995.

For starters, Bill Cowher kept Rod Woodson on the active roster throughout the Steelers 1995 season. And, unlike today, injured reserve ended a player’s season.

So Bill Cowher kept 4 quarterbacks AND an injured player on the active roster all season long and still made it to Super Bowl XXX. So keeping 4 quarterbacks can be done. And if not…

Speaking of injured reserve….

4. Follow the Washington Redshirts’ Example

In the pre-salary cap of the 1980’s Washington was notorious for stashing players on injured reserve. Joe Gibbs and Bobby Bethard had it down to a science.

One ESPN commentator went so far as to refer to them as the “Washington Redshirts.”

They did this with players at every position, but they excelled at doing it with quarterbacks. Both Mark Rypien and Stan Humphries had “Redshirt seasons” on Washington’s IR before going on to start Super Bowls.

So if both Howard and Allar show promise in the summer well then, one of them could end up pulling a groin in late August, couldn’t he….?

The Pittsburgh Steelers will arrive at St. Vincents with a quarterback math problem. But it is a good problem to have and one with several solutions. Let’s just let reality unfold at its own pace.

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Steelers 2026 Draft Class Emphasizes Offense and Versatility

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The 2026 NFL Draft is in the history books.

Record crowds came to Pittsburgh. We saw a veritable parade of Steelers Hall of Famers strut the stage, from Jerome Bettis, to Mel Blount, to Lynn Swann & John Stallworth to Hines Ward. Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger embraced.

Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy selected 10 players to form the Steelers 2026 Draft Class. Khan traded up twice, traded down once, made one rather infamous phone call, and closed the draft with a hometown hero story that Barry Levinson couldn’t have scripted better. (Hum, could Levinson, a Baltimore native, have had a hand in scripting the Lemon trade….?)

Steelers 2026 draft picks Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette, Drew Allar and Gennings Dunker.

Germie Bernard, Daylen Everette, Drew Allar and Gennings Dunker. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

Before we can unpack what it all means, let’s take a look at the newest members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers 2026 Draft Class at a Glance:

Round 1: Max Iheanachor, Offensive Tackle, Arizona State
Round 2: Germie Bernard, Wide Receiver, Alabama
Round 3: Drew Allar, Quarterback, Penn State
Round 3: Daylen Everette, Cornerback, Georgia
Round 3: Gennings Dunker, Guard, Iowa
Round 4: Kaden Wetjen, Return Specialist/WR, Iowa
Round 5: Riley Nowakowski, Fullback, Indiana
Round 6: Gabriel Rubio, Defensive End, Notre Dame
Round 7: Robert Spears-Jennings, Safety, Oklahoma
Round 7: Eli Heidenreich, Running Back-Wide Receiver, Navy

So what grade do Khan and McCarthy get for this draft?

Ask me in 5 years.

Seriously. Chuck Noll waited 5 years to judge draft classes, and if that was good enough for him, it is good enough for me. With that said the Steelers 2026 draft class has already given us a few early lessons.

The obvious one is that Khan and McCarthy leaned in heavily on offense. Given the JVness of the Steelers offenses in 2023, 2024 and 2025 that’s logical. But there are other, deeper lessons to be found.

Putting the Malik Lemon Draft-Day Miss in Historical Perspective

As everyone knows, Omar Khan was on the phone with Malik Lemon while Dallas was on the clock, only to have the Eagles trade up and draft Lemon, leaving the Steelers to scramble and draft Max Iheanachor instead.

The social media general managers in Steelers Nation pounced, torching Omar Khan for mishandling the situation.

Let’s put this phone call and the draft day “miss” with Malik Lemon into perspective…

…Once upon a time the NFL had an 800 pound gorilla that dominated the draft. This gorilla used the draft to transform a team that won 4 games in two seasons into a team that won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years with only 3-year ramp. The gorilla’s name was Jimmy Johnson

During the 1992 NFL Draft, Johnson sent an assistant coach, contract in hand, to Leon Searcy’s home. The idea was to draft Searcy, sign him and get him on a plane before the ink dried.

Alas Jimmy Johnson ran into a little problem.

Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher drafted Leon Searcy before he could. This was long before the digital age, yet the story dominated draft coverage on Big 3, CNN and especially ESPN….

…Except it didn’t.

The world had to wait for Jim Wexell’s On the Clock to tell that story.

Leon Searcy was an excellent tackle and, in the Heinz Field era, likely would have been a life-long Steeler. But after missing out on Searcy, Jimmy Johnson traded down and drafted Kevin Smith.

Emmit Smith, Levon Kirkland, Greg Lloyd, Carnell Lake, Steelers vs Cowboys, Super Bowl XXX, Super Bowl 30

Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd tackle Emmitt Smith in Super Bowl XXX. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Kevin Smith played 103 games for the Dallas Cowboys, started 93 of them, made 19 interceptions, forced 7 fumbles and made UPI’s 2nd team All-Conference squad in 1996. He retired with 3 Super Bowl rings, including one for the Cowboys win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.

The moral of the story is this: Judge not by who you missed, but who you picked after pivoting.

Why Versatility Defines the Steelers 2026 Draft Class

“Versatile.” “We won’t know exactly how he fits until we see him work with the group as a whole.” In some form or fashion, we heard those words from the Steelers coaching staff throughout the 2026 NFL Draft.

  • Yet, many Steelers commentators acted as if that’s a bad thing.

This started with the Eagles swooping in to draft Malik Lemon, forcing the Steelers to go back to their board and draft Max Iheanachor instead. Judging by his non-verbal behavior, Mike McCarthy was: 1. Glad to get Ihenachor and 2: Had little idea of how he’d fit into the Steelers line up.

  • Let’s embrace the elephant in the room.

Watching a beaming head coach or general manager explain exactly how a first round pick fits into their system breeds confidence.

But let’s acknowledge the flip side: The NFL Draft is a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.

The point is that one of the worst things an NFL coaching staff can do is try to force players into a system that’s not suited for them. Bill Parcells drafted James Farrior as an outside linebacker where he was OK. Kevin Colbert brought him to Pittsburgh, Bill Cowher moved him inside, and he’s one of the best Steelers free agent signings ever.

By and large, forcing guys into systems they were unsuited for wasn’t a major issue during the Tomlin era.

But those who remember Joe Walton and Kevin Gilbride stints as offensive coordinator know just how caustic coaches trying to force square pegs into round holes can be.

Based on the post-draft press conferences, this won’t be an issue under Mike McCarthy.

The Draft = NFL’s Land of Hope and Dreams

It is fitting that the Steelers book-ended 2026 NFL Draft with Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hugging and drafting Mt. Lebanon native Eli Heidenreich because the draft is all about reconciling hopes with dreams.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hug at the 2026 NFL Draft.

Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw hug at the 2026 NFL Draft. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

It will be a while before we know how strong the Steelers 2026 Draft Class is. If 5 of the 10 newest Steelers “make it” as pro football players then that will make this draft an outstanding success.

Some guys won’t make the cut. Injuries will fell others. At least one will be a numbers game causality. That’s just the harsh reality of the NFL.

  • But let’s worry about that another day.

The NFL draft is a veritable “Land of Hopes and Dreams” (yes, that’s an intentional shout out to Springsteen.) Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy gave 10 men legitimate hope of realizing their NFL dream. Let’s let them enjoy that for a time, and as they continue to strive to be the best they can be.

And best of all? They’ll do it in Black and Gold.

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5 Steelers Draft Lessons Omar Khan Must Apply in the 2026 NFL Draft

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The 2026 NFL Draft is days away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting on a mother lode of draft picks. Thanks to trades, compensatory picks and hoarding his own, Omar Khan has 12 choices at his disposal in the upcoming draft.

  • Those picks open many possibilities for Pittsburgh.

But to be successful, the Steelers brain trust must make wise decisions. With that in mind, let’s take a look at lessons Steelers draft history teaches us.

This is the latest article in our Steelers 2026 Draft coverage.

Omar Khan, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan, Photo Credit: Nola.com

1. Challenge Conventional Wisdom on Compensatory Picks

Omar Khan is already learning this lesson in real time. Last spring Khan’s focus in free agency was to stockpile compensatory picks so he could trade up in what was supposed to be a QB-rich draft.

“Stockpile compensatory picks Khan has, but QB poor has this draft turned out to be,” in Yoda speak.

  • Other drafts teach a similar lesson.

The Steelers went into the 1998 draft with 14 picks. Tom Donahoe made no bones about trading some of those, boasting, “There’s no way 14 rookies can make our team.”

Donahoe was right. It’s near-impossible to imagine 14 rookies making any non-expansion NFL roster. Yet, Donahoe’s claim was laced with a touch of latent arrogance.

Stub from April 1st 1998 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette detailing the Steelers compensatory draft picks.

Stub from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 1, 1998. Thanks to Gordon Gordon Dedman, @SteelUK for supplying this.

Free agent exoduses had been the norm in Pittsburgh throughout the 1990s. The 1997 Steelers AFC Championship loss seemed to have proven franchise could defy gravity. Instead, 1998 was the year the Steelers came crashing back down to earth.

Now, several things led to Bill Cowher’s first losing season in 1998, but a wiser use of draft choices could have helped avert that (see below.)

2. Initial Story Lines Come with a Grain of Salt

The NFL Draft is such a successful media event because its core product is hope. And best way to sell hope is with a good story. And that’s perfectly fine, as long as you remember that many of the initial stories spawned on draft day won’t come to fruition, or at least not the way you expect them to.

When the Steelers drafted him, Chris Berman and company mused about whether Ward’s arrival heralded the advent of Slash II. (“Slash” is of course Kordell Stewart, whose play as a QB/WR/RB helped propel the 1995 Steelers all the way to Super Bowl XXX.)

Ward after all had played quarterback and running back in addition to wide receiver at Georgia. Both the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review ran articles exploring the “Slash” angle.

Hines Ward, Super Bowl XL, Steelers Super Bowl XL, Antwaan Randle El Hines Ward Super Bowl XL

Hines Ward seals the win in Super Bowl XL. Photo Credit: Bill Frakes, Sports Illustrated

They were great draft-day stories, and Ward authored a Hall of Fame-worthy resume which included his MVP performance in Super Bowl XL. But he only threw two passes in his NFL career.

3. Good Drafts Age Like Fine Wine

To borrow from Eddie Van Halen, a “Right Here, Right Now” mentality dominates the NFL draft.

People go to the inane extent of grading mock drafts. Before the ink on draft cards even dries, we’re bombarded by “draft grades.”

That’s fun. It generates clicks. But no amount of page views can alter the simple reality that judging a draft takes several years. Tom Donahoe’s final drafts in Pittsburgh prove that point.

Dan Rooney, Dan Rooney decisions, Tom Donahoe, Bill Cowher, Tom Modark, Steelers 1992 Draft

Tom Donahoe, Tom Modark, Dan Rooney and Bill Cowher in the Steelers 1992 draft room. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Dan Rooney fired Tom Donahoe after the 1999 Steelers finished 6-10. Rooney’s main reason was that Donahoe and Cowher were barely on speaking terms. But at the time, many also questioned Donahoe’s personnel decisions, particularly his recent drafts.

The 1998 and 1999 drafts brought Alan Faneca, Hines Ward, Deshea Townsend, Joey Porter, Sr. and Aaron Smith to Pittsburgh. Today, we see them as foundational players of the Steelers second Super Bowl Era.

  • But that would have been a hard sell when Kevin Colbert was hired in 2000.

Aaron Smith was an unknown. Joey Porter Sr. was the pre-season sensation that Carlos Emmons had kept on the bench. Deshea Townsend had started 4 games and wouldn’t start full-time until Dick LeBeau returned in 2004.

Kevin Colbert actively tried to replace Hines Ward in his first draft and, in the pages of the Steelers Digest, Bob Labriola was raising questions, albeit in measured tones, about Alan Faneca.

Yes. Like Riglos Gran Crote, good drafts age well with time.

4. Measure Drafts by Quality, Not Quantity

True to his word, Tom Donahoe didn’t draft 14 players, trading a 2nd, a 3rd and a 5th to move up to get Jeremy Staat in the 2nd round. So Donahoe gave up 3 picks to get one player who made 2 career starts. Anyone of those picks could have been to add a much-needed offensive tackle or wide receiver.

On the flip side, the Steelers picked 13 players in the 2003 and 2004 drafts. And collectively, those drafts only yielded 4 starters. Sounds pretty damning doesn’t it? Well, it does, until you consider that those starters were Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, Max Starks and Ben Roethlisberger.

Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, AFC Championship

Ben Roethlisberger hugs Troy Polmalu after the AFC Championship. Photo Credit: Pin Interest

The Steelers don’t win either Super Bowl XL or Super Bowl XLIII if they’re missing any one of those players. Joe Flacco, Matt Hasselbeck or Ken Whisenhunt would all agree.

The lesson for Omar Khan? When in doubt, draft the next Hall of Famer.

5. Steelers Should be Swindlers Not Suckers

Like their predecessors, there’s little chance Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy will draft 12 players later this week. Khan, as we know, likes to wheel-and-deal.

And while most of the focus is on who Khan should trade up for, where he should do it and how much he should give up, the Steelers would be wise try to trade 2026 picks for picks in the 2027 NFL Draft.

How might this dynamic play out? Khan’s own words from the George Pickens trade press conference guide us. This is how Khan explained the value of draft picks:

But, yeah, when you’re, the day of the draft or going through the draft, every one of those picks feels like they’re the greatest pick. You don’t want to get rid of them. They’re valuable. They’re all important.

Here’s the simple English take away: Suckers are born every minute in the NFL draft.

  • The Steelers have been suckers in the past.

During the 2013 NFL Draft, Steelers traded their 2014 third round pick for a 2013 4th rounder get Shamarko Thomas (Ouch!). In the 2021 NFL Draft they traded their 2022 fourth rounder to get a 2021 5th rounder to draft Isaiahh Loudermilk (ouch!)

It takes two to tango — Khan can’t simply snap his fingers and turn one (or two) of the Steelers 2026 thirds in to 2027 seconds. Moreover, the Bengals-Giants Dexter Lawrence trade suggests there’ll be a buyer’s market in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sounds like its time for someone to go out and remind us why we call him the Khan artist…..

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Steelers 2026 NFL Draft Needs at Quarterback

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For a second straight season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the NFL draft with their starting quarterback undefined. Yet, unlike 2024 and 2025, the Steelers are not turning over their entire quarterback room.

That sounds, but does it represent progress? And if so, how might it impact the Steelers plans at quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft? Let’s dive in.

This is the first article in our Steelers 2026 Draft series.

Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Aaron Rodgers catch at Acrisure during pregame warm ups.

Will Steelers “run” it back with the trio of Rodgers, Rudolph and Howard? Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Steelers QB Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Starter

The NFL draft is 15 days away, and the Steelers don’t have a starting quarterback. Everyone from Art Rooney II, to Omar Khan and to Mike McCarthy both wants and expects Aaron Rodgers to be that man.

But Rodgers remains unsigned. Ergo he’s not the starter.

The Steelers QB Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Back Ups

There’s one name that you never hear bandied about when the Steelers discuss their quarterback situation. Yet, if Rodgers doesn’t sign, the odds favor him starting on opening day.

Rudolph was Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert’s “compromise” pick in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Rudolph was starting by the middle of week 2 in 2019. Then, save for a single start in 2021, Rudolph was all but forgotten about before coming off the bench in late 2023 to win three straight starts, save Christmas and secure a playoff berth.

Then the Steelers let him walk in free agency. Rudolph spent a year in Tennessee, before returning in 2025.

Mason Rudolph, Steelers vs Bengals

Mason Rudolph stands tall in the pocket. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Last year Mason Rudolph saw action in two games: First in relief of Rodgers against the Bengals at Acrisure and then in a start against the Bears at Soldier Field.

  • Rudolph resembled a “starter-capable” quarterback coming off the bench in Pittsburgh.
  • Unfortunately, his start in Chicago reminded us why the NFL only sees him as a backup.

Behind Mason Rudolph stands Will Howard, whom the Steelers drafted in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Has Steelers Nation ever seen a more ballyhooed, untested, 6th round quarterback?

Perhaps Jim Miller could give Howard a run for his money if you control for the lack of social media.  But even then, Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher never dropped Miller’s name the way Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy are dropping Howard’s.

In many ways, Will Howard serves as a Rorschach Test for how you see the Steelers quarterback situation:  Either he’s the next Tom Brady just waiting for his chance to prove himself, or he exemplifies just how badly the Steelers are managing the post-Roethlisberger transition.

That’s the only way to describe him, because although Howard looked good early in training camp last summer, he got hurt and spent most of his time at St. Vincents holding a clipboard, went on IR and remained there until November 12th.

  • Mike McCarthy has said that Howard should have gone before the 6th round.
  • Many draft experts agree.

Clearly McCarthy is ready to give Will Howard a chance to prove himself, but it is just as obvious that either Will Howard will have to do a lot of things right or a lot of other things will have to go wrong for him to end up starting games for the Steelers in 2026.

Steelers 2026 Draft Needs at Quarterback

“I’m not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend,” declared Art Rooney II the day after Mike Tomlin resigned.

Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Needs ScaleAgree or disagree, that is the franchise philosophy.

That being the case, signing Aaron Rodgers gives the Pittsburgh Steelers the best chance to compete, for the least risk and at the lowest possible cost in 2026.

Yet, if that’s true – and it is – then another inconvenient truth remains:

  • The Steelers still lack a long-term solution at quarterback.

Most talent evaluators believe that, the long-term answer at quarterback isn’t there to be found in this draft. But that doesn’t alter the reality that heading into the 2026 NFL Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers needs at quarterback are High.

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Steelers Shake Up Secondary: Ramsey’s Move to Safety Recalls 2000 Turnaround After Thornhill Cut

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Twin above the line performances against good offenses isn’t about to make Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin complacent when it comes to strengthening a struggling Steelers secondary.

The sting of the loss to the San Dieg er um, Los Angles Chargers was still fresh when the news broke that the Steelers had claimed Sebastian Castro off of waivers.

  • That wasn’t surprising.
  • The Steelers liked Castro and hadn’t wanted to lose him from the practice squad.

But cutting Juan Thornhill to make room for Castro was a bit of a surprise. After all, they’d thought enough of Thornhill in the off season to return Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins.

Sebastian Castro, Garrett Greene, Steelers vs Buccaneers preseason

Sebastian Castro makes a tackle in preseason. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, IMGAN Images via Dearoldgold.com

Prior to cutting Thornhill and claiming Castro off of waivers, Mike Tomlin had already benched him and shifted Jalen Ramsey to safety so the secondary shakeup was already in motion.

This sequence got the grey matter churning back to memories of a similar move at safety a long time ago and to the larger question of how much impact one person can have on the overall performance of a defense.

Echos of the 2000 Turnaround?

Today Steelers Nation remembers the 1999 NFL Draft for bringing Joey Porter Sr. and Aaron Smith to Pittsburgh. Add two players like that in a single draft, and you’ve done well, no bones about it.

  • But the early take on the 1999 wasn’t so good and Scott Shields was one of the main reasons.

Having lost had lost Rod Woodson and Carnell Lake in rapid succession and with Darren Perry aging rapidly, the Steelers went into the 1999 draft needing to bolster safety. And to do that Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher took Scott Shields in the 2nd round.

Shields came from Weber State, so the move surprised people. Washington, DC radio journalist Ken Beatrice decried the Steelers pick of Shields as “inexplicable.” Still, Shields boasted an uber-athletic profile who even might be able to place kick in a pinch. Somebody at Three Rivers Stadium head Shields in high regard as they issued him Number 47.

Scott Shields, Tony Banks, Steelers vs Ravens

Scott Shields sacks Tony Banks. Photo Credit: Bigskyconf.com

Shields appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and made 4 interceptions, batted away 6 passes and even recorded a sack. Those flashes were one of the few signs of hope during a dismal 6-10 1999 Steelers season.

The 2000 Steelers opened with a brutal loss to Baltimore at home, followed by a last-second loss to Cleveland on the road that featured, among other things, Tim Couch leading his team down the field late in the 4th quarter for a go-ahead score.

Bill Cowher and Tim Lewis relieved Shields of his starting duties after that game.

A week later saw the Steelers lead the Titans for almost an entire game until Jason Gildon knocked out Neil O’Donnell, bringing in Steve McNair, who only needed 3 passes and 2 runs to pull the Titans ahead.

  • Shields, who’d been relegated to playing in the dime, got benched outright after week three.

Week four saw the Steelers travel to Jacksonville, where their dominating defense set the tone for the coming decade by upsetting the Jaguars.

Shortly afterwards, Tim McMillen, perhaps the pioneer of the Steelers blogging community, made an observation along the lines of, “I don’t want to scapegoat anyone, but has anyone noticed how much better the defense has been since Scott Shields started riding the pine full time?”

For his part, Shields would appear on special teams for 7 more games in 2000 before going on IR in November and got cut in 2001. After that he’d spend time on training camp rosters for the Bills, Dolphins and Chiefs, but he never played another down of NFL football.

Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, Steelers vs Bengals

Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward in the playoff win against the Bengals. Photo Credit: Tony Tribble, AP via Al.com

The 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers continued to improve, but missed the playoffs. At the time, few could read between the 9-7 lines to see that with Alan Faneca, Hines Ward, Deshea Townsend, Smith and Porter Pittsburgh was assembling the core of two Super Bowl teams.

Ramsey as a Difference Maker to be Put to the Test

When the history of the 2025 Steelers season is written, no one will finger Sebastian Castro’s return as the moment the secondary turned a corner.

  • Mike Tomlin’s decision to move Jalen Ramsey to safety may be a different story.

In Juan Thornhill’s last two starts a free safety the Steelers gave up a combined 702 yards to Joe Flacco and Jordan Love. Since Ramsey moved to safety, the Steelers have given up 562 to Daniel Jones and Justin Herbert – with a good chunk of Jones’ yards coming in garbage time.

Jalen Ramsey, Tyler Warren, Steelers vs Colts

Jalen Ramsey lays in the wood on Tyler Warren. Photo Credit: Alysa Rubin, Steelers.com

To paraphrase my old friend Tim McMillen, “…I don’t want to scapegoat Tornhill or anything like that, but with him out and Jalen Ramsey at safety, the defense seems to be better.”

Better it has been. But with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins coming to down, the biggest test of Ramsey moving to safety is yet to come.

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Cam Heyward-Steelers Contract Dispute in 1 Word: Unfortunate

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“He said ‘c’mon don’t tell me that the rich don’t know
Sooner or later it all comes down to money…’”
– Bruce Springsteen, “A Big Muddy,” Luckytown

Cam Heyward’s contract situation with the Steelers is complicated. But it is hardly unique.

But as both a fan of Cam Heyward and the franchise that is the Pittsburgh Steelers, the word I’d use to describe it is simply: Unfortunate.

Cam Heyward, Cam Heyward Franco Harris Number 32, Steelers vs Raiders

Paying homage to Franco, Cam Heyward leads Steelers out of tunnel. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

As fans, and perhaps particularly fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers, we sometimes tempt ourselves into feeling that it really is only about playing, winning, losing and competing for championships. And so when a player who serves as the “Face of the Franchise” goes public with a contract complaint things get awkward in a hurry.

Franco Harris, Franco Harris Seattle Seahawks

A sight Steelers Nation should have never seen. Photo Credit: X

Franco Harris held out and got cut. The left the tune of Chuck Noll’s “Franco who?” ringing in our ears and this awful after image burned in our retinas.

Slightly over a decade later, someone from the Steelers brain trust, presumptively Tom Donahoe – although that’s never been confirmed – tried to strong arm Rod Woodson into signing a low-ball offer.

Woodson declined.

Instead, he played 7 more years for the 49ers, Ravens and Raiders, and made 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros and earned a Super Bowl ring for his trouble.

To keep this in context, no one is talking about Cam Heyward leaving the Steelers. But yes, this situation unfortunate.

But what to make of it and how can we get out of it?

Yes, Two Things Can Be True

Decrying “Both sidesism” is in vogue these days and often times with merit. But this is one case where two things can be true:

  • Cam Heyward agreed to a contract with the Steelers one year ago.
  • A year later, that contract leaves Cam Heyward underpaid.

As fans, working for far less, it is easy to look at the $131,555,028 Heyward has made in his career, point to the $13,450,000 check the Steelers have already cut him for 2025 before he’s played a game this year, and say, “Come Cam, suck it up, strap on your helmet and get out there!”

Cameron Heyward, Cam Heyward, Cam Heyward sack Joe Burrow, Steelers vs Bengals

Cam Heyward sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

I don’t pretend to know what it’s like to play in the NFL, take the pounding a player takes with risk of a life-changing injury at any moment. But we shouldn’t dismiss Cam’s comments about wanting to feel valued.

For most of my professional life, I’ve worked Nearshore, and several times I’ve seen the value of my salary eroded by the twin specters of inflation and devaluation.

Cam Heyward is a straight up, honest man. And if he says he told Art Rooney II and Omar Khan that he’d be coming back asking for more if he had a good year – and Cam had a great year in 2024 – they everyone should believe him.

But it isn’t as simple as that.

No Matter The Angle, Optics Are Bad

The problem here is the optics. A year ago when Heyward reupped, he explained “There are certain guys who are one-helmet guys. I want to be one of those one-helmet guys.”

The feeling was mutual – the Steelers included 29 million in new money, although the deal did not include any new guaranteed money. The Steelers have already paid them the bulk of his 2025 money, and are not on the hook for anything in 2026, although they are due a roster bonus in 2026.

But even if he did say he’d want more if he had a strong year, why then, as Dejan Kovacevic has asked, didn’t his agent work that into his contract?

Why go public with this pay dispute?

Heyward says he made his request in February and again, we should believe him. He’s been holding in through training camp, yet no one knew about it until he, or more likely his agent, leaked it to the national press?

  • And his he really serious about missing games?

If he really is then I think he is guilty of wanting to have it both ways. If he’s not then he’s unnecessarily exacerbating things. Either way, he looks almost petty.

AB Offers a Way Out?

The Steelers have a different approach to contracts. They don’t negotiate during the season, a tradition that began in 1993 and has served them well since then. They also don’t renegotiate deals for players who have more than one year left on their current contract.

That would seem to leave them between a rock and a hard place.

However, they were in a similar situation with Antonio Brown several years back, and Kevin Colbert worked out of it be with a restructure that converted future salary into current year bonuses.

The smart money says something similar will happen with Heyward. IF it does, this will fade into hindsight. But until the situation remains unfortunate.

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Steelers Re-Sign T.J. Watt – Why Watt Was Worth It

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have resigned T.J. Watt to a 3-year contract extension worth $144.05, including $108 million in guarantees. The deal makes T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history and will keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2028 season.

  • Smart Steelers observers expected this deal to get done.
  • Speculators mused about chances of a long-term hold out or even a trade.

Score one for the Smart Steelers observers.

The Steelers locker room has voted T.J. Watt the team MVP a record five times. They did it after the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 seasons. Minkah Fitzpatrick won the award in 2022 – when Watt missed close to half of the season with injuries.

T.J. Watt also won NFL defensive player of the year award in 2021. Clearly, this is someone Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan are wise to keep in the Steel City.

T.J. Watt, T.J. Watt sack record. Tyler Huntley, Steelers vs Ravens

T.J. Watt ties the NFL sack record. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Why Watt is Worth It

T.J. Watt could retire today and remain a surefire Hall of Famer. With 121 games under his belt he has 108 sacks. For comparisons sake, James Harrison who is third on the list, had 80.5 in 177 career games.

  • Yet, despite his resume, some have suggested that resigning T.J. Watt was unwise.

They point to the overall decline in sack production in edge rushers who are over 30, Watt will turn 31 this year. Others point to the steep drop that his brother J.J. Watt experienced after age 29 and 8 years in the league – T.J. has just played his final year.

  • And they’ll also point to Watt’s own injury history.

He missed much of the first half of 2022 with injuries and took several games to find his rhythm when he returned. Watt remained healthy through the 2023 season, only to get injured in the regular season finale against Baltimore – he missed the playoffs and the Steelers missed him in that loss to the Bills. And in 2024 Watt never missed again, but did play much of the later season with an undisclosed injury that limited his effectiveness.

  • Injury is a risk with all NFL contracts and that risk increases with age.
  • And Father Time remains undefeated in the race between athletic ability and age

If the Steelers had any doubts about resigning T.J. Watt (they didn’t), perhaps the story of another 31 year old linebacker is most instructive. During the 1993 off season Dan Rooney and Tom Donahoe made an under the radar signing of a 31 year old from the Los Angeles Rams.

Kevin Greene, Stan Humpheries, 1993 Steelers free agents, 1993 Steelers free agency

Kevin Greene sacks Stan Humphries in 1993. Photo Credit: AP, via al.com

For a short time he held the distinction of having signed the largest contract in Steelers history (Greg Lloyd one-upped him a few weeks later.) His name was Kevin Greene, and Greene along with Greg Lloyd transformed Pittsburgh into Blitzburgh.

Greene played 3 years, and during the 1995 season, went as far as predicting his own departure in the Steelers Digest, explaining that Jason Gildon was ready. Indeed, Super Bowl XXX was Greene’s final game in Black and Gold.

The Steelers let Greene walk because they’d groomed Gildon as a replacement – in the pre-Heinz Field days the Steelers had to be very targeted with their salary cap dollars. But that wasn’t the only reason.

The other was that, giving a large contract to a then 34 year old outside linebacker seemed insane.

Yet Kevin Greene had the last laugh, adding another 52 sacks (or one less than Lloyd’s career total) in four seasons with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.

  • This scribe won’t be surprised if T.J. Watt follows in Kevin Greene’s footsteps.

But the difference will be that Watt will do so in Pittsburgh.

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Was the Steelers 2025 Offseason Really That Unprecedented?

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The Steelers 2025 off season will soon end as the team converges at St. Vincents for training camp.

  • My, what a long strange trip it’s been.

Yes, the trip has been strange enough at times that the conventional wisdom heading into Latrobe is “These are not your father’s Pittsburgh Steelers” or “The Steelers Way as we know it is over.”

  • But should we accept the conventional wisdom at face value?

To be sure, there has been no shortage of personnel turnover since the Ravens ridiculed the Steelers in the playoffs. That’s certain.

But strip away the hyperbole and the social media-induced hype and you’ll see much of change we’ve seen is firmly grounded in franchise precedent.

Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, Steelers training camp, St. Vincents

The Steelers Brain Trust @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit:Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports, via Yahoo! Sports

Stripping Down the D.K. Metcalf Trade

Strip the Situation to the Studs – Pittsburgh invests a premium pick in a skill player. He plays well. He makes an expensive veteran expendable. Alas, he has issues. So the Steelers send a 2nd round to the NFC and bring in a pedigreed player while shipping the former premium pick out.

Sounds familiar, right?

Good. Because it should. Except we’re not talking about how D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens came and went to Pittsburgh, but about the Bam Morris to Jerome Bettis switch out in the spring of 1996.

Jerome Bettis, Alan Faneca, Dewayne Robertson, Steelers vs Jets, Steelers history vs Jets

Jerome Bettis hurdles guard Alan Faneca evading Dewayne Robertson in the Steelers 2004 AFC Divisional playoff win. Photo Credit: Matt Freed, Post-Gazette

Yes, there are differences. Morris had legal problems; Pickens has maturity issues. The Steelers cut Morris. They traded George Pickens. They also didn’t fork over a ton of money to Bettis until after the 1996 season, whereas they handed Metcalf a check as he walked through the door.

Fair enough. But the template Omar Khan followed looks a lot like the one Tom Donahoe left behind.

Distilling the “Sleep Walking Through the 2025 Draft” Ditty

Distilling this Ditty Down to Its Core Details – Despite a desperate need at quarterback, Pittsburgh passed on multiple signal callers, waiting until day three to address the position, and opting instead to double-dip on defensive line.

OK. The heckles from the peanut gallery condemning the Steelers blueprint for their 2025 Draft class have largely come from the national media. But it serves to debunk the myth that this off-season was somehow “unSteelers-like.”

In January the Baltimore Ravens knee-capped a once-proud defense with 299 yards on the ground.

And Omar Khan responded in his third draft just as Kevin Colbert did in his second draft after the 2000 Steelers had similarly been embarrassed on Sunday Night Football by Fred Taylor: By beefing the defensive line.

Colbert passed on Drew Brees and drafted Casey Hampton (and Kendrell Bell) instead. Khan took Derrick Harmon.

Yes, a long-term solution at quarterback remains a glaring need for the Steelers. But in refusing to reach, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan stuck with franchise precedent.

After passing on Dan Marino in 1983, the Steelers really didn’t have a shot at another franchise quarterback until Brees in 2001*  But more importantly, they always resisted the urge to reach for one (see the non-draft of Chad Pennington in 2000.)

*Unless you count passing on Steve Young in the 1985 Supplemental Draft or maybe Brett Favre in the 1991 Draft.)

Oh, And About the Steelers Quarterback Situation… 

Breaking the Story Down to Its Bare Bones: The Steelers had a young signal caller who was reaching unrestricted free agency for the first time. They wanted him back. They made him an offer. The New York Jets offered more. The Steelers declined to begin a bidding war.  Instead, they opted to go with a quarterback room that consisted of a veteran journeyman, a 6th round pick and a Wild Card nearing one of the endpoints of his career timeline.

That about describes what happened, doesn’t it?

Neil O'Donnell, Barry Foster

Yes it does. It is exactly how the Steelers quarterback situation unfolded in 1996 after Super Bowl XXX. They made Neil O’Donnell an offer. The Jets offered him more. The Steelers let him walk and instead turned to Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller (a 6th round pick) and Kordell Stewart.

  • Of course the analogy’s imperfect.

Tomzack, Miller and Stewart were part of the 1995 Steelers. Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Aaron Rodgers were not Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. While the Tomzack-Rudolph comparison holds water pretty well, Miller had 2 years and appearances in 3 NFL games, whereas Howard’s a rookie.

  • But the Kordell-Rodgers parallel holds up better than you think.

Kordell knew how to make headlines. So does Rodgers. Kordell had just played his first year. Rodgers has basically said this is his last. Kordell was a wild card that could go either way for the Steelers in 1996, just as Rodgers is now.

“Oh, but none of the QBs in 1996 caused the angst that Rodgers caused,” the chorus protests!

Angst for who?

Did Pittsburgh panic when Justin Fields priority boarded for New York? Did start a bidding war? Did they throw a contract at Russell Wilson after he visited the Browns and the Giants? Did they sacrifice future drafts to get Jaxson Dart? Did they reach for Shedeur Sanders?

No, they didn’t.

The Steelers had a plan at quarterback. And when that plan didn’t unfold as expected, they remained patient, refused to panic and, arguably, got the best quarterback available this off-season. And they’ll pay him 21.8 million less than the Browns are paying Deshaun Watson this year.

Its almost hard not to picture Mike Tomlin laughing to himself as he watched the social media outbursts that erupted as each day pass without Aaron Rodgers signing.

Putting the Steelers 2025 Off Season in Perspective

The Steelers 2025 off-season certainly had its share of surprises. And it is certain that neither Omar Khan nor anyone else on the South Side had a WWTDD? (as in What Would Tom Donahoe Do?) moment this spring.

But if you look at the principles that guided the Steelers braintrust through it all, you’ll see that they’re the same ones that the franchise has followed since Dan Rooney assumed control in the mid-60s: Try to field the best team possible for the coming season without sacrificing their ability to compete in future seasons.

  • Now, will their strategy succeed?

Its almost time to hit the blocking sleds and St. Vincents and start finding out!

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3 Takeaways as Steelers Trade Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith

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Last week the Pittsburgh Steelers shocked the world by trading Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for All Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith. The Steelers also sent their 5th round pick from the 2027 NFL Draft to Miami and got the Dolphins’ 7th rounder.

No one apparently told Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin that this was supposed to be the slow spot in the NFL’s off season.

While rumors had tied the Steelers to trades for Ramsey and Smith, trading Minkah Fitzpatrick was unimaginable. But traded he has been.

Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell perhaps summed it up the best by concluding, “…Dolphins made off with the best player in the big trade with the Steelers, but that the Steelers won the trade.”

ON paper, Wexell’s right, we’ll see if what happens on the field vindicates his conclusion. While we wait for that reality to play out, here are three things this trade is telling us now.

Antonio Brown, Jalen Ramsey, Ramon Foster, Steelers vs Jaguars, Antonio Brown vs Jalen Ramsey

Antonio Brown vs Jalen Ramsey. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

1. The Steelers Brain Trust Takes 2024’s Meltdown Seriously

The 2024 Steelers closed their season with a 5-game losing streak that got uglier with each week. The piss-poor performance of the defense against the Chiefs at Christmas and in the playoffs against the Ravens called into question the franchise’s fundamental strategy of using defense to keep the team competitive until they can find a franchise QB.

Instead, Patrick Mahomes terrorized the Steelers defense through the air, while Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry ridiculed them on the ground. In simple terms:

  • The Steelers defense got its ass kicked. Twice.
  • The men in Black and Gold didn’t belong on the same field.

No one should think, let alone suggest, that Minkah Fitzpatrick was responsible for these losses or even that he was some sort of “weak link.” That’s both wrong and disrespectful.

But Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan have clearly concluded that Jalen Ramsey can be a bigger part of the solution than Fitzpatrick.

Events may prove them wrong, but no one can say the Steelers took these beatings sitting down.

2. The Steelers Way Evolves Under Omar Khan

While this easily amounts to the biggest trade in franchise history, let’s keep it in context:

But they’ve never exchanged All Pros. Perhaps it’s true that a trade of this magnitude would have been near unthinkable in June of 2015, it hardly spells the death of “Steelers Way.”

  • The “Steelers Way” is simply evolving.

In fact, Omar Khan is building on tendencies that first surfaced under Kevin Colbert. Colbert began making trades more frequently in hopes of “Reloading with Roethlisberger,”  contract restructures became more common, and using voidable years on contracts began to happen and so forth.

Like Kevin Colbert and Tom Donahoe before him, Omar Khan is leaving is own finger prints on the Steelers Way. Donahoe pioneered the strategy of avoiding free agency bidding ways in favor of resigning your own players.

Kevin Colbert, unlike Donahoe, welcomed back players who’d departed via free agency, improved performance in the first round while displaying an uncanny knack for finding undrafted rookie free agent gems (you may have heard of Willie Parker, James Harrison and Ramon Foster.)

Omar Khan, Steelers General Manager, Kevin Colbert

Omar Khan and Kevin Colbert at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

And while Khan has been more aggressive with trades and free agency, let’s also remember that he has a freedom that Kevin Colbert never enjoyed – roster building without having to manage the salary cap complications of a franchise quarterback.

3. The Steelers are NOT “All In” on Going for a Super Bowl in 2025

Before the smoke even cleared on Fitzpatrick for Ramsey-Smith trade, Everyone and His Brother in football rushed to the same conclusion:

  • The Steelers are All In on a going for a Super Bowl in 2025.

That’s the easy conclusion when you look at the D.K. Metcalf trade, Aaron Rodgers signing and now the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade. But as is so often the case in life, the quick and easy conclusion is the wrong one.

  • Yes, these splash personnel moves have generated a lot of Sound and Fury.

But you know what? The Steelers still have a projected 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, they’re only missing a 6th round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and they’re still league leaders in available salary cap space for 2026 and 2027. They’ll lose a little of that leadership after they resign T.J. Watt, but the Steelers salary cap health will remain strong once that deal is done.

  • That’s the opposite of being “All In.”
  • Going “All In” means you’ve bet everything on the risk you’re taking.

For example, the Steelers were “All In” on Ben Roethlisberger’s recovery after trading for Fitzpatrick in 2019. The trade cost them a shot at a franchise quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, and impacted the next several drafts.

In contrast, if these moves result in another “muh” season that ends at about .500 but with no playoff success, the franchise will still enter 2026 with all of its options open.

If the Steelers were truly “All In” this would not be the case.

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