Category: Pittsburgh Steelers

We are tracking all pieces of news and rumors about Pittsburgh Steelers free agency, all in one place.

2025 NFL free agency is here! And before the action has even officially begun, the Pittsburgh Steelers have made a blockbuster trade, acquiring star wide receiver D.K. Metcalf after an approximate 18-month pursuit of depth at the position and several superstars missed out on, including 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. The work isn’t done, though, with quarterback still the biggest need of all.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty of the latest Pittsburgh Steelers’ free agency news and rumors, here’s a few key reminders:

When does the legal tampering period begin? The NFL’s legal tampering period begins Monday, March 10 at noon ET.

When does 2025 NFL free agency officially start? NFL free agency begins with the official start of the 2025 new league year, set to open up on Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. ET.

How much salary cap space the Pittsburgh Steelers have in 2025? Prior to the trade to acquire WR D.K. Metcalf, Over The Cap projected the Steelers with $61,076,769 in effective available cap space — the fifth-most cap space in the league. The NFL announced a record-high $279.2 million salary cap for the 2025 season in late February.

Last updated: Wednesday, March 12 at 3 p.m. ET.

---

Pittsburgh Steelers free agent signings, contract news

• The Steelers and ILB Cole Holcomb agreed to a revised contract to save Pittsburgh nearly $5 million in cap space in the 2025 season, Gerry Dulac reported.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers signed newly-acquired WR D.K. Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million contract extension, Adam Schefter reported.
• The Steelers have placed a second-round tender on RB Jaylen Warren worth $5.346 million in the 2025 NFL season.
• The New York Jets are signing departing free agent quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million guaranteed.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing cornerback Darius Slay, Jordan Schultz of Fox reported.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have released veteran DL Larry Ogunjobi, clearing $7 million in cap space for the 2025 NFL season.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing linebacker Malik Harrison to a two-year, $10 million contract, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported Monday evening.
• The Steelers have agreed to terms with former Philadelphia Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell.

---

Pittsburgh Steelers departing free agents

• Former Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $82 million contract with the Tennessee Titans, including $50 million in guarantees, Adam Schefter reports.
• The New York Jets are signing departing free agent quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million guaranteed.
• The Los Angeles Chargers are signing cornerback Donte Jackson to a two-year, $13 million contract.
• Former first-round starting running back Najee Harris has agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers worth up to $9.25 million.
• Former Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts has agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
• Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Van Jefferson to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.
• The Miami Dolphins have signed former Steelers RG James Daniels to a three-year, $24 million deal.
• Recently released Larry Ogunjobi signed a one-year, $8.3 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.

---

Pittsburgh Steelers free agent rumors

• A hold-up regarding the potential re-signing of QB Justin Fields could stem from the need to “get past any sting/distrust” with Steelers HC Mike Tomlin following his return to the bench last season after a 4-2 start, Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports reports.
• Alan Saunders of Steelers Now reports that Justin Fields and the Steelers are “not close” on a contract and that the 26-year-old quarterback is expected to test free agency.
• Gerry Dulac reports that the Steelers have not dismissed pursuing outside options for the quarterback position.
• The Steelers are expected to make an offer for quarterback Sam Darnold, Diana Russini of The Athletic reports.
• Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is “emerging as an option” for the Pittsburgh Steelers at quarterback, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Monday.
• QB Aaron Rodgers is reportedly deciding between contract offers from the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.
• Per a report from Dejan Kovacevi of DK Pittsburgh Sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers have reached out to former quarterback Mason Rudolph regarding a potential reunion.

---

Pittsburgh Steelers trades

• Pittsburgh Steelers acquired WR D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a swap of sixth and seventh-round picks.

---

Pittsburgh Steelers pending free agents

*Players listed in italics indicate starters

• Quarterback: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields (Signed two-year, $40 million deal with New York Jets), Kyle Allen
• Running back: Najee Harris (Agreed to one-year contract with Los Angeles Chargers worth up to $9.25 million), Jaylen Warren (RFA — Steelers placed second-round tender)
• Wide receiver: Van Jefferson (Signed one-year, $2.5 million contract with Tennessee Titans), Mike Williams, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek
• Tight end: MyCole Pruitt
• Offensive tackle: Dan Moore Jr. (Agreed to a four-year, $82 million deal with the Tennessee Titans), Calvin Anderson
• Center: Ryan McCollum (ERFA — Re-signed)
• Guard: James Daniels (Signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Miami Dolphins), Nate Herbig, Max Scharping
• Defensive line: Isaiahh Loudermilk
• EDGE: Jeremiah Moon (ERFA)
• Inside linebacker: Elandon Roberts (Agreed to one-year, $3 million deal with Las Vegas Raiders), Tyler Matakevich
• Safety: Damontae Kazee
• Cornerback: Donte Jackson (Agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers), Cameron Sutton, C.J. Henderson, James Pierre

Follow along with us as we update this tracker through the first week of NFL free agency, and join BSTC’s free agency mega-thread to discuss the latest news, rumors and more!

Keep the conversation rolling!

The new year league has arrived!! And so has a fresh, new BTSC free agency mega thread.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy so far through the legal tampering period…

We’ll keep this thread pinned through the remainder of the first week of free agency for your chatting pleasure — keep coming back to discuss the latest free agency news, rumors and more.

Keep up with the latest pre-draft visits for the Steelers

With the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine officially in the books, attention now turns to prospect pro days and pre-draft visits.

At the conclusion of the combine, each NFL team is able to bring in 30 prospects for a private visit at the facility between March 4 and April 6. These are commonly referred to as “top-30 visits,” though that phrasing can be somewhat confusing, as a scheduled “top-30 visit” doesn’t necessarily mean a player is ranked in the top 30 on a team’s draft board. No on-field workouts are permitted at these visits, but players can undergo physical exams and conduct interviews.

NFL teams are also allowed to conduct video or telephone with draft-eligible players. Per Giants.com, NFL rules restrict clubs to a maximum of “three video or telephone interviews per player, no longer than one hour in length.”

In addition to the 30 official visits, NFL teams are able to hold visits with local players, as long as they do not provide transportation. A “local” player is determined to be a player who is from or attends college in the “local metropolitan area as defined by a current Rand McNally map.”

Pre-draft visits can be huge indicators of a team’s potential interest in a player, and the Steelers, in particular, have used these visits to their advantage. In 2024, the team had top-30 visits with first-round OT Troy Fautanu, ILB Payton Wilson, OL Mason McCormick and DL Logan Lee and had local visits with C Zach Frazier and CB Beanie Bishop (signed as an UDFA). DB Ryan Watts and WR Roman Wilson were the only two draft selections in 2024 that Pittsburgh did not bring in for a top-30 visit.

Here’s a look at the reported top 30 visits for the Steelers heading into 2025, as well as reported local visits. We’ll be keeping this updated leading up through the NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers reported top-30 visits 2025

Total reported: 3/30

Wide receiver

• Jaylin Noel, Iowa State (via _MLFootball)

Defensive line

• J.J. Pegues, Ole Miss (via Mike DeFabo)

Quarterback

• Tyler Shough, Louisville (via Mike DeFabo)

Running back

• D.J. Giddens, Kansas State (via The Draft Network’s Justin M.)

Pittsburgh Steelers local visits 2025

Offensive line

• Wyatt Milum, West Virginia (via Mike DeFabo)

Could Pittsburgh turn their attention to a rookie quarterback?

The Steelers went into this offseason with many needs and have begun filling a few of them.

The most noteworthy is a blockbuster trade for now-former Seattle Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf. It was reported that Metcalf agreed to a five-year deal worth $132 million, which adds to the one year he has left on his contract, during which he is set to earn $18 million.

So how does this impact the draft?

The Steelers gave up their second-round selection, pick 52, to acquire their big target at receiver. Many including myself mocked Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka and Texas WR Matthew Golden to the Steelers in the first round at pick 20.

As things currently stand, wideout is obviously less pressing of a need. However, that could change if George Pickens is dealt. But the odds of a pass-catcher with their first-round selection have dropped significantly.

In addition, last night we learned that Pittsburgh inked former Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell to a one-year contract. In four years with the Eagles, Gainwell established himself as one of the better third-down backs and kick returners in the league. He’ll join Jaylen Warren as the only two backs who are locks to make the opening roster.

I’m not sure this changes the Steelers’ approach to adding a back through the draft. I’d like them to add a speedster like Virginia Tech’s Bhayshal Tuten, or Texas’ Jaydon Blue in Rounds 3 or 4. They can’t enter the season with just Warren/Gainwell, especially when considering Warren’s recent injury history.

General Manager Omar Khan also reportedly signed former Eagles CB Darius Slay to a one-year deal, which should be announced today after Slay is officially released by the Eagles.

Slay is 34, and although I’d anticipate him holding down outside corner for a year next to Joey Porter Jr., I can’t imagine this would preclude Pittsburgh from drafting a cornerback as early as round one. Keep an eye on East Carolina’s Shavon Revel.

This brings us to positions the Steelers have not addressed – most notably defensive line, and yes… quarterback.

Selecting a defensive lineman in round one would have to be the odds-on favorite, especially after the release of Larry Ogunjobi. Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Oregon’s Derrick Harmon are two strong candidates- and I wouldn’t rule out Ole Miss’s Walter Nolen.

And speaking of Ole Miss… could quarterback actually be in play?

Of course, I’m talking about Jaxson Dart, who will likely be the third signal-caller off the board. The Steelers let QB Justin Fields walk in free agency. He was the younger, upside play. I’m positive they’ll be in the market for another, especially if Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson is the starter.

Of course, this will all rapidly change as the weeks progress – and so will all of your mock drafts. Get ready for some fine-tuning!

Backing up Miles Sanders, D’Andre Swift and Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell has waited his turn. The four-year Eagles contributor is set to relocate but without leaving Pennsylvania.

A day after losing Najee Harris to the Chargers, the Steelers are finalizing a deal with Gainwell. The sides have agreed to a one-year deal, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. Gainwell will be on track to team with Jaylen Warren, whom the Steelers slapped with a second-round RFA tender. Warren is set to make $5.3MM this season; that does not check in too far south of the Harris fifth-year option on which Pittsburgh passed.

The Steelers will be acquiring a running back with fairly low mileage but one that has maintained a second-string role for one of the league’s best rushing attacks. Gainwell has only compiled 280 carries in his four-year career. He holds a career 4.2-yard average and has tallied 721 receiving yards.

No extended stints as a fill-in have transpired for Gainwell, as the Eagles have seen Sanders, Swift and Barkley stay healthy over the past three years. All three parlayed those seasons into new deals, with Barkley’s coming via an Eagles extension. Gainwell has been the constant throughout this period, fending off challengers for the Philly RB2 gig in 2023 and keeping it once Barkley arrived. Gainwell has just four career starts. One of those came in Week 1 of the 2023 season, but after the 2021 fifth-round pick sustained an injury that kept him out of Week 2, Swift took over and never gave back the job.

Pittsburgh certainly could be expected to augment the position further in the draft, as Warren and Gainwell will be due for unrestricted free agency in 2026. For now, a potential Warren-Gainwell partnership has formed. This offseason may bring a big opportunity for Gainwell, who turns 26 later this week. Entering the 2025 season with more than 800 fewer carries than Harris makes this a (likely) low-cost bet on fresher legs bringing upside.

The Steelers’ preference entering the negotiating period was to keep Justin Fields in place instead of Russell Wilson. That plan is no longer an option since the former agreed to a two-year Jets deal on Monday.

Wilson is still on the market, and he would obviously be a familiar option after spending the 2024 season as Pittsburgh’s starter (when healthy). The Steelers have become one of the suitors for Aaron Rodgers, however, and a deal could be in place soon. As talks on the Rodgers front continue, Wilson is not out of Pittsburgh’s plans yet.

Should the Rodgers negotiations break down, Wilson resides as a fallback option at this point, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. That might be a humbling position for a playoff team’s primary starter to reside, but Wilson looks to have other options. The Giants and Titans are believed to be interested, though New York is also in on Rodgers, who cannot officially be released until Wednesday afternoon. The Browns are also believed to still be eyeing a veteran, despite their Kenny Pickett acquisition.

A report Monday night indicated a Rodgers-Steelers deal could go down today, and SI.com’s Albert Breer said during a Rich Eisen Show segment the Steelers were fairly confident as of Monday that Rodgers would select them. The Giants remain in the mix, and Breer expects Rodgers to end up in Pittsburgh or to switch locker rooms at MetLife Stadium. The Giants have made their pitch and are indeed waiting on Rodgers’ decision, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes.

Although a weekend report connected the Vikings to Rodgers — in what would be an eerie parallel to the Brett Favre career path — Breer indicates he would be surprised if the future Hall of Famer ends up in Minnesota. That said, Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano does not view the Vikings as out of this mix yet. This situation differs from last year’s Wilson decision and what could happen if the Falcons cut Kirk Cousins, as Rodgers could see a notable salary in 2025. The Broncos were already paying Wilson’s salary, while Cousins’ 2025 money is guaranteed as well.

The Steelers and Vikings are coming off playoff seasons and would be better positioned to complement Rodgers this year; that said, the Giants have been busy in free agency, most notably re-signing Darius Slayton and adding Jevon Holland and Paulson Adebo. While Minnesota has J.J. McCarthy and New York holds the No. 3 overall pick, Pittsburgh may be committed to a full season of Rodgers if he is to sign. The Steelers not holding a pick in the top 20 would stand to give them an advantage for Rodgers, who would not need to look over his shoulder at a prospect — in all likelihood — were he to choose Pittsburgh.

As for Wilson, waiting on Rodgers’ talks with the Steelers may not sit too well. The younger of the two aging options finished two spots higher in QBR (23rd to 25th) last season and piloted the team to the playoffs. The Steelers’ late-season collapse, however, has not reflected well on Wilson, who appears behind Rodgers with the Giants as well.

Decisions should come soon, but Rodgers having this much say in how the QB market plays, at 41 and coming off an underwhelming Jets tenure, is interesting. But teams are still intrigued by the all-time QB talent. He has a clear route to play a 21st season and remain a starter.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post

PFR’s poll pointing to a potential Aaron Rodgers-Steelers fit did not draw a high vote count back in December, but it is starting to look like this could happen. A Rodgers deal with Pittsburgh may be close.

The Steelers could have a deal in place with Rodgers as soon as Tuesday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. The future first-ballot Hall of Fame became connected to the Steelers recently, but Florio adds the parties have been in talks for several days — when it became clear Justin Fields would explore free agency.

Pittsburgh still may need to fend off the Giants, who were rumored to prefer Rodgers to Russell Wilson. Despite the Steelers using Wilson as their primary starter last season, it appears they do as well. Although Rodgers will turn 42 before 2025 ends, he is still drawing interest from QB-needy teams.

Rodgers’ desire, per Florio, to play two more seasons factors into his decision-making here. Whereas the Giants are likely to add a first-round quarterback — they are at least in position to do so and have been linked to trading up to No. 1 overall — the Steelers hover outside the top 20 in the draft and are not in a position to nab one of this class’ top two options. As such, the Steelers would be in better position to hold off on a younger passer if they land Rodgers, who has not confirmed he is playing in 2025.

It has been believed Rodgers will come back for a 21st season, and despite an underwhelming Jets tenure, the all-time QB talent has generated a bit of a bidding war — as far as fit goes, at least. The Giants may still be involved here, Florio adds, but the Steelers would stand to give Rodgers a better chance to reach the playoffs in 2025. Baggage aside, Rodgers would provide the Steelers with an upgrade on what they have deployed at QB in recent years — particularly from a passing standpoint. As far as the rest of the Rodgers experience goes, that would be borderline must-see TV when paired with Mike Tomlin.

Despite Rodgers’ antics over the past few years, the Steelers taking this chance does not seem too farfetched based purely on football. Although the four-time MVP has not closely resembled that version in recent years, he finished with 28 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions last season. QBR still ranked Rodgers 25th — three spots behind Wilson — last season, when he tied a career-low with 6.7 yards per attempt. After Kenny Pickett and the Wilson-Fields combination did not do enough to complement Pittsburgh’s defense, the team may be close to a gamble — fit-wise — as the T.J. Watt–Cameron Heyward–Minkah Fitzpatrick trio’s primes wane.

Seeing Justin Fields prefer to test his market rather than re-sign with the Steelers before free agency, Pittsburgh viewed it as necessary to enter talks with outside QB options. Although one target (Sam Darnold) is off the board, a much bigger name remains.

The Steelers are indeed in talks with Aaron Rodgers, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo. They might have a real chance to add the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Although the Giants are believed to be eyeing Rodgers as their preferred bridge option, SNY’s Connor Hughes indicates some around the league expect Rodgers to end up in Pittsburgh.

The Giants are waiting to see if Rodgers is truly interested in staying in New York, Hughes adds. If Rodgers proves elusive for the Giants, Hughes adds they are still interested in Russell Wilson. Though, a handful of other teams are as well. While the Jets, Raiders and Seahawks checked the veteran QB box off their respective to-do lists, the Titans and Browns join the Giants and Steelers in pursuit of at least a bridge option. Cleveland’s Kenny Pickett acquisition may not represent the team’s true veteran option.

Tennessee is interested in Wilson as well, Hughes reports. The team was believed to be showing interest in Darnold before free agency, but a price ceiling — one that checked in south of where Seattle ended up going — came into play regarding that push. Wilson would profile as a stopgap for a Titans team that is not certain to exit Round 1 with a passer. Though, Tennessee would have the right of first refusal here due to holding the No. 1 pick.

As it stands, the Steelers do not appear interested in re-signing Wilson, per Dulac and Fittipaldo. The QB impressed at points but clashed with Arthur Smith during a season that ended with a five-game skid. The Steelers had been in talks with Wilson, but after so much noise came out about a Fields re-signing, the veteran may look elsewhere as well. Though, the Post-Gazette cautions Wilson could be back in play depending on where things settle. He does not look like the Steelers’ preferred option. It remains to be seen how serious the Steelers are about adding Rodgers. A few dominoes remain on the QB market as the legal tampering period rolls on.