Category: NFL Football

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

According to Curt Popejoy of SteelersWire, Watt skipped the start of OTAs. 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 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 to move forward.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

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.

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.

Despite not having a deal for the 2025 season in place – along with no timeline for an agreement to be reached –Aaron Rodgers remains the focus of considerable offseason attention. His latest public remarks on his future point further in the direction it has been heading in for quite some time.

During a recent question-and-answer session while appearing on stage at an event hosted by rapper Mike Stud, Rodgers was asked about his plans for next season. Notably (albeit to no surprise), the 41-year-old confirmed he will not sign with the Saints. In the wake of Derek Carr‘s retirement, it became clear New Orleans would hold an open competition amongst the team’s remaining passers for the starting gig.

That leaves the Steelers as a logical Rodgers landing spot. The four-time MVP has been linked to Pittsburgh throughout the offseason, one in which Russell Wilson and Justin Fields departed in free agency. Steelers owner Art Rooney II has repeatedly expressed confidence that a deal will get done, and in the wake of the draft the team remained optimistic Rodgers will be in place for 2025. The latest indication that will indeed be the case came when the longtime Packers star was asked if he would be willing to ever play for the Bears.

“No, but I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip,” Rodgers said (video link). “I don’t know, not sure. Got to check it out.”

The Steelers’ 2025 schedule includes a road game against the Bears (Week 12), so that remark can be interpreted as another sign a Pittsburgh deal will be coming. The end of May was recently floated as the time at which an agreement could be in place, and the Steelers would no doubt prefer to have Rodgers in the fold as soon as possible. At the recent owners meetings, Rooney stated he and the team would remain patient “a little while longer” (h/t ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) on the Rodgers front.

As a result, it remains to be seen when exactly the two parties – which met during a lengthy free agent visit and have discussed at least one contract offer – will come to a formal arrangement. Rodgers’ preferred destination this spring was the Vikings, but in the absence of a Minnesota deal being possible a short-term Pittsburgh pact has represented a fallback plan. That is clearly still the case at this point.

Mason Rudolph (brought back after spending 2024 with the Titans) is atop the depth chart for now, but the veteran was informed of Pittsburgh’s QB plans before he agreed to return during free agency. Skylar Thompson and sixth-round rookie Will Howard will be present for training camp this summer, but the Steelers are expected to add a fourth signal-caller, per usual. Rodgers remains atop the list of the likeliest candidates to be added at some point before camp begins in July.

MAY 22: Free agency is a likelier route for the Steelers to take than another trade acquisition at the receiver spot, Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show notes. Unless one of the options still on the board (such as Amari Cooper or Keenan Allen) ends up being added, Kaboly predicts Pittsburgh will wait until roster cutdowns at the end of training camp to supplement the Metcalf-Austin-Wilson-Woods group.

MAY 14: With the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers courtship still on, the team made George Pickens its latest contract-year wide receiver traded. Rather than pairing the talented wideout with D.K. Metcalf, Pittsburgh passed and is resetting around its high-priced trade acquisition.

On the surface, it would appear the Pickens trade leaves the Steelers in need of a replacement. After all, they spent much of 2024 searching for a player to pair with Pickens. This included an aggressive Brandon Aiyuk pursuit and later looks into Christian Kirk and even Metcalf before the 2024 deadline. Mike Williams ended up being Pittsburgh’s play, but production did not follow the former top-10 pick (who has since returned to the Chargers).

[RELATED: Small Market Formed For Pickens]

This year, Omar Khan and Co. may be content to wait. The Steelers are more likely to see how their young batch of potential Metcalf complementary pieces looks before pursuing a Pickens replacement, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Pittsburgh does roster multiple intriguing rookie-contract cogs, and the team’s only known commodity behind Metcalf — Robert Woods — is on his fifth squad and entering his 13th season.

Calvin Austin, in particular, is a player the Steelers are higher on than most realize, Breer adds. The slot target has made progress since going off the 2022 draft board in Round 4, moving from a full-season absence to 180 yards in 2023 to 548 in ’24. Austin’s size (5-foot-9, 162 pounds), however, effectively brings a low ceiling on his capabilities alongside Metcalf. That said, the contract-year performer will almost definitely play another central role in the Steelers’ passing attack.

Roman Wilson may be the more interesting piece here, as the Steelers have an established track record of identifying wideout talent on Day 2 0f a draft. Wilson, however, basically redshirted as a rookie. Ankle and hamstring injuries kept Wilson off the field for just about his entire rookie season. He played just five offensive snaps in 2024. Expecting the Michigan product to go from such sparse usage to potential No. 2 wide receiver is probably unrealistic, even considering the Steelers’ history of development here. But the team still views Wilson as a key piece, even as rumors of the Steelers — as the Rodgers wait continues — pursuing Allen Lazard (or potentially another of the QB’s former Packer targets) have circulated.

The Steelers gave Woods a one-year, $2MM deal ($745K guaranteed) but added him after a 203-yard 2024 season. Years removed from his Rams apex, the 33-year-old target also does not profile as a player capable of making a difference in a starting role. However, Woods would bring some insurance in case Wilson is again not ready. That scenario would almost definitely, however, lead the Steelers to reignite their WR pursuit before the post-Week 9 deadline. For now, it appears Metcalf — who played with Tyler Lockett throughout his Seahawks career and with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the past two seasons — will have less around him going into training camp.

The Browns and the Steelers both reached out the Saints regarding the availability of wide receiver Chris Olave this offseason, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

New Orleans rebuffed those overtures and doubled down on their commitment to the 2022 first-rounder by picking up his fifth-year option. That will keep Olave under contract through the 2026 season, during which he will earn a fully-guaranteed $15.5MM.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh have both been active in the wide receiver trade market over the last few years. The Browns brought in Amari Cooper in 2022 and Jerry Jeudy in 2024. (Cooper was later traded to the Bills at last season’s trade deadline.) The Steelers, meanwhile, sent a second-round pick to the Seahawks to acquire D.K. Metcalf this offseason and sent George Pickens to the Cowboys earlier this month.

Installing a new coaching staff tends to lead to player turnover as the roster is evaluated for fit with the incoming scheme. Between that and Olave’s down year in 2024, the Browns and the Steelers may have thought they could swoop in for a bargain.

However, the Saints declined to engage in trade talks for the 24-year-old wideout. That could be because new head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier see a major role for Olave in their passing attack. It could also be due to Olave’s lower trade value coming off a 400-yard season after he eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first two.

Picking up Olave’s fifth-year option indicates that the Saints believe he can bounce back in 2025, though he will have to adjust to a new coaching staff and a new quarterback, likely rookie Tyler Shough. If Olave returns to his top-25 production, he should be in line for an extension with a substantial raise next offseason.