Think you can figure out which Steelers player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!
Hey Steelers fans! We’re back for another day of the Behind the Steel Curtain in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.
The goal of the game is to guess the correct Steelers player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.
After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.
Vote on the greatest front office moments in Steelers history
Here are the final matchups in Round 2 of Steelers March Madness 2025. This year, our NCAA-style tournament of Steelers moments is focusing on front office moves. If you haven’t yet voted on the brackets, go back to DAY 1, DAY 2 & DAY 3.
BANANA SPLIT BRACKET
Banana Split bracket ‘25 – Round 2
1 seed: April 3, 1993 – Signed free agent linebacker Kevin Greene
(signed a three-year, $5.35 million deal)
Greene came to Pittsburgh in free agency because of Defensive Coordinator Dom Caper’s 3-4 system. He didn’t come cheap. He was the highest-paid Steelers defender ever at the time. Greene was only in Pittsburgh for three seasons, but in those 48 games, he earned 35.5 sacks, two Pro Bowls, and an All-Pro season in 1994. He played in two AFC Championship games for Pittsburgh and one Super Bowl.
VS
8 seed: March 18, 2008 – Signed free agent center Justin Hartwig
(signed two-year, $4 million deal)
Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images
Hartwig was the NFL’s highest-paid center in Carolina, but injuries caused the Panthers to draft his replacement. Hartwig also received an offer from Kansas City, his hometown team, but after meeting with Mike Tomlin, his agent convinced him to sign with Pittsburgh. Hartwig started all 32 games during his two years with the Steelers, plus Super Bowl XLIII.
2 seed: March 14, 2006 – Signed free agent safety Ryan Clark
(signed a four-year, $7 million deal)
Set Number: D153547 TK1 R1 F32
After two seasons, Washington cut Clark but was willing to bring him back on a smaller, minimum contract. R.C. felt disrespected, so he chose to test the market. Pittsburgh was his only offer. Clark went on to play in 80 games, starting 78, and made three Super Bowl appearances.
VS
7 seed: August 21, 1995 – Signed free agent kicker Norm Johnson
(signed a two-year deal)
Photo by Craig Hacker/Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images
After 13 seasons in Pittsburgh, Gary Anderson left for Philadelphia when the Steelers offered him a contract he couldn’t accept. Pittsburgh came to camp with kicker Dean Biasucci, but he was struggling. Johnson happened to be available. Despite making 90 percent of his kicks in Atlanta, he had been replaced by Morten Andersen. Johnson’s special teams coach in Atlanta, Bobby April, was now in Pittsburgh. Johnson went on to lead the league in field goals in 1995. He played in 63 games over four seasons, including Super Bowl XXX.
3 seed: September 16, 2019 – Traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick wasn’t happy with how he was being used in Miami, so he requested a trade. Despite losing Ben Roethlisberger for the season hours earlier, Pittsburgh made the deal. With the Steelers, Fitzpatrick has acquired five Pro Bowl seasons and three All-Pro campaigns.
VS
11 seed: August 29, 2017 – Traded for tight end Vance McDonald
(traded 2018 4th round pick (#128 Kentavius Street) to SF for Vance McDonald and 2018 5th round pick (#148 Marcus Allen))
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
San Francisco had been trying to shop McDonald earlier in the spring. It was apparent to them that George Kittle had starting potential. Pittsburgh was a buyer because the previous year’s addition, Ladarius Green, failed. McDonald spent four years in Pittsburgh, playing in 53 games, starting 47 of them, plus two playoff games.
4 seed: April 17, 1999 – Traded down for linebacker Joey Porter’s pick
(traded 1999 2nd round pick (44th overall, Jim Kleinsasser) to Vikings for 1999 2nd round pick (59th overall, Scott Shields), 1999 3rd round pick (73rd overall, Joey Porter) and 1999 5th round pick (163rd overall subsequently traded, Craig Heimburger)
SetNumber: X72714 TK2
Minnesota was willing to give up a third-round pick to move up 15 spots in the second. They had their eye on tight end Jim Kleinsasser. Pittsburgh’s eventual second-round pick, Scott Shields, only made two starts, but that additional third-round pick turned into 3x Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XL champion Joey Porter.
Chase Claypool had not yet become Mapletron as once predicted. Although the Steelers could only get a third-round pick for Antonio Brown three years earlier, Pittsburgh somehow got a second-round pick from Chicago for Claypool. That pick ended up becoming current starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
As the Giants and Steelers have hovered as the leaders in this unusualAaron Rodgers sweepstakes for multiple days, the future Hall of Fame quarterback is still deliberating. Rodgers is well aware the Giants and Steelersare interested, but the third team linked to him over the weekend is still believed to be in the mix.
Rodgers remains intrigued by playing for the Vikings, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Michael Silver note. Minnesota continues to evaluate its QB options, and we heard over the weekend Rodgers is one of them. While completing the Full Favre would be make for an eerie parallel for his one-time Packers successor, Minnesota has some selling points the other two suitors do not.
Kevin O’Connell is the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, riding to that honor mostly as Sam Darnold went from bottom-tier starter and borderline draft bust to an original-ballot Pro Bowler who threw 35 touchdown passes in guiding the Vikings to a stunning 14-3 record. Darnold targeted All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, former first-rounder Jordan Addison and Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson. Longtime Rodgers teammate Aaron Jones also did heavy lifting for the 2024 Vikings, and he is back on a two-year, $20MM deal.
Minnesota also finished with a top-five defense last season, and during a week in which the team re-signed Byron Murphy and retained Harrison Smith, the Vikes added veteran D-linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Brett Favre joined a Vikings team that had lost a wild-card game in 2008, albeit with a much worse record than last year’s Minnesota edition; Rodgers may be interested in helping a team to a higher level. Though, the four-time MVP failing to do so in New York — ahead of a Wednesday release — offers a warning sign for the suitors.
Favre took the Vikings to the 2009 NFC championship game, delivering an MVP-caliber season at 40. That ended badly, with a reckless interception stalling a potential game-winning Vikings drive in the NFC championship game. But Favre delivered a strong season at 40, beating Rodgers’ Packers twice. Unretirement No. 3 in 2010 did not go as well, as Favre’s ironman streak ended during a 6-10 Vikes season.
Rodgers is rumored to be interested in playing two more years, which is where a Minnesota decision would become complicated. Unlike in 2009 when they recruited Favre, the Vikings have a young quarterback (J.J. McCarthy) they are planning to build around. The 2009 Vikes had seen three Tarvaris Jackson seasons, as both a starter and backup, by that point. This Vikings regime is high on McCarthy, having centered its 2024 offseason around him before a meniscus tear entrenched Darnold at QB1. Rodgers may not be too keen on serving as a bridge who faces the risk of being benched during his first season with the team.
Chances are, he would not face that reality in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are not in position to grab a starter-level QB in the draft, though one of the QBs off the Cam Ward/Shedeur Sanderstier may rise up draft boards during the pre-draft process. But Rodgers could have a path, even as he will turn 42 in December, to starting throughout for a Steelers team that has a strong defensive nucleus — and one that just acquiredD.K. Metcalf to play alongside George Pickens.
Wilson looms as a Steelers backup option, but time may be ticking there, too. Wilson is visiting the Browns on Thursday and Giants on Friday. While Wilson has settled in behind Rodgers within the QB free agent hierarchy — to the point the Giants would be unlikely to sign him before they know they are out of the Rodgers derby — he remains a capable starting quarterback who could be a bridge option to a rookie.
The Vikings being in the Rodgers mix as well stands to give the 20-year veteran a good chance to remain a starter in 2025. While Rodgers is well off the 2012 Peyton Manning level in terms of free agency prize, as the all-time great’s free agency decision stalled the NFL that offseason, the Rodgers free agency is slowing the market for at least one quarterback and probably a couple more.
The two teams in this derby who do not land Rodgers figure to place an immediate call to Wilson’s camp. Options tail off soon after. Gardner Minshew is available, and Joe Flacco is interested in playing an age-40 season. The line moves to Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz and Mason Rudolph after. The Falcons continue to hold Kirk Cousins hostage, intent on keeping him for a potential trade market.
Whether the Steelers want to play him outside or in a power slot role, Higgins provides some route running polish with a big frame.
Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.
The Steelers have already made one big move for a receiver this offseason, but with the new league year still young, we can’t rule out more additions. While the Steelers exchanged their second round pick — the round I expect Higgins to go in — we can’t rule out any future trades. The Steelers could trade back from their first pick, move receiver George Pickens, or even trade back into the second.
Higgins provides inside and outside versatility in a big frame the Steelers could covet.
Jayden Higgins is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.92 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 29 out of 3445 WR from 1987 to 2025.
Coming out of high school, Higgins was not a highly sought after recruit. Growing up in the football hotbed of Miami, Higgins was lost in the shuffle. 24/7 Sports ranked him as a two-star prospect and the 459th receiver in the country. Higgins committed to Eastern Kentucky, eventually transferring to Iowa State in 2023.
It’s there that he thrived. If the Steelers move on from Pickens this year, or next, they’ll find a lot of similar traits in Higgins’ game. Both are tall with similar athletic traits.
And like Pickens, Higgins is a phenomenal contested catch target. While he’ll need to show he can beat press coverage at the NFL level, Higgins possesses a promising release package and has shown the body control and tracking ability that should translate to the pros.
Higgins doesn’t create a ton of separation running away from defenders, but he’s a contested catch winner pic.twitter.com/LGOiTi7uRj
That’s all the more impressive the more you dive into Iowa State’s tape. For a program that has two Day 2 worthy receiver prospects, the Cyclones had some difficult to watch quarterback tape. Check out this stat from Brett Kollman, where he says Higgins had the third-most targets in the country that were considered bad throws by the quarterback.
Overall, I like Higgins’ route running and spatial awareness.
I like Higgins’ feel for space. Here he runs a corner route and finds a soft spot between a triangle of ASU defenders pic.twitter.com/VLO1ErpX5P
But Higgins offers more than just a vertical threat. Iowa State would often throw him in the power slot role, or set him up for one-on-one opportunities while running RPOs.
Higgins doesn’t have break away speed, but he’s plenty quick. Here he is winning on an RPO where he needed to get open quickly behind the second level on a slant. pic.twitter.com/nlC2vxluIu
His inside versatility is extra enticing because Higgins has shown that he is a willing blocker on tape. Having a big target that can win on routes inside the numbers as well as grind it out in the running game is a match made in heaven for an Arthur Smith offense.
Higgins is a willing blocker and can improve on this part of his game at the next level. pic.twitter.com/PJCzHusTtF
Higgins is a physical player who showcases the ability to play through contact and offers surprising quickness at the line of scrimmage. He’s equally fluid at the top of the route stem and has illustrated the ability to create separation if given a lot of extra space to attack.
As an outside receiver, Higgins boasts modest vertical stacking ability, which could eat into his ability to successfully threaten NFL corners in off-coverage. This is a frame that would be well implemented in running schemes, too — Higgins boasts some great length and heavy hands. He pairs it with a good effort as a frontside blocker. Higgins should offer something for everyone, but run-focused offenses looking to work out of 11p will like his physical profile.
He’s smooth but physical in his routes and does a nice job of creating pockets of separation with force and strength. He has mismatch qualities from the slot with body control and a catch radius that make him a menace on jump balls downfield. He won’t outrun cornerbacks and is nothing special after the catch, but his size, ball skills and competitiveness create a profile of production as a future contributor in three-wide sets.
Higgins’s game revolves around tempo, pacing, and leveraging. He stems routes to set up defenders vulnerable at the break point. The way he attacks leverages resembles a veteran receiver. He has a high football IQ and plays all three receiver positions at Iowa State.
Higgins is a talented contested catch receiver and ball tracker. He is savvy; staying patient and calm as the football is descending. His hands are soft and reliable to pluck the ball away from his frame. Higgins has excelled in contested catch situations his entire collegiate career. He is a good red-zone threat because of his height, wingspan, and timing. Tracks the ball calmly and poise while flashing late hands to make the catch.
In a world where the Steelers keep George Pickens, the addition of Higgins would give the Steelers a trio of 6’3 and taller receivers. Higgins would slide help emphasize the Steelers’ commitment to the vertical passing game. With his ability to play the “power slot” role, he’d likely see a ton of early run as the Steelers’ third wide receiver in 11-personnel sets.
If the Steelers move on from Pickens, this year or the next, Higgins slides into Pickens’ old role while arguably providing more versatility.
TL;DR: Higgins would be a solid addition and further double down on the Steelers’ commitment to the Arthur Smith’s scheme. Able to play outside and in the slot, Higgins can win in multiple phases with his size, toughness, and precision.
What are your thoughts on Jayden Higgins? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
The Steelers’ 2024 starter is scoping out his options.
Now officially a free agent, veteran quarterback Russell Wilson is making the rounds, officially scheduled to make a visit with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday followed by a visit with the New York Giants on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon.
The Giants have also been in talks with Aaron Rodgers, who’s mulling his options which will undoubtedly have some sort of ripple effect on the eventual landing spot for Wilson. NFL reporter Judy Battista reported that Wilson appears to be the Giants’ “plan B” while Rodgers is “plan A”. Meanwhile, Diana Russini of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Minnesota Vikings could also be in play for Rodgers.
The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, still have Deshaun Watson under contract, likely to miss most of the 2025 season after re-rupturing his Achilles tendon — an injury that ended his 2024 campaign. The team made a move to acquire former Steelers quarterback (and Super Bowl champion!) Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for backup QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick earlier this week. The signing of Wilson by the Browns would be an entertaining move, at the very least, given that Pickett found himself in a QB competition with Wilson just last offseason, leading up to his trade to the Eagles.
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t necessarily out of the mix for Wilson, either, despite his exploration of other options. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted the potential that the Steelers revisit Wilson as a starter, should Pittsburgh be unable to come to a financial agreement with Rodgers.
The consensus preference for Rodgers over Wilson is an intriguing one, as the latter had a generally more efficient season in his limited starts, with an edge in win percentage, pass yards per attempt, completion percentage, rushing production and interception rate per Stathead. Rodgers and Wilson were each tied with a 4.8% passing touchdown rate.
Darius Slay‘s Steelers agreement is now final. After being rumored to be close to landing the veteran cornerback, Pittsburgh will indeed bring in the two-time Super Bowl starter.
This deal comes minutes after the 2025 league year starting greenlit Slay’s official Philadelphia exit. The Eagles had planned to cut Slay for a bit, but teams cannot designate players as post-June 1 releases until 3pm CT today. The Steelers waited a bit, but they have added a boundary starter opposite Joey Porter Jr. The player who primarily worked in that role last season, Donte Jackson, joined the Chargers this week.
While this transaction will officially end the biannual Darius Slay-Darius Slayton divisional matchup, Slay did well to secure an opportunity quickly at an age when most corners are long retired. The batch of corners that topped this year’s free agent market were in their late 20s, scoring nice third contracts after smartly inking two- or three-year deals previously.
This is Slay’s fourth contract, illustrating the talent the ex-Eagles and Lions defender has displayed. He played two seasons on a three-year, $39MM Eagles accord, but after Philly drafted first- and second-round CBs last year, they bid farewell to Super Bowl LVII starters Slay and James Bradberry.
Bradberry missed all of last season, but Slay was in place as the veteran corner giving the Eagles experience while Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean acclimated. Slay started all 14 games he played last season and logged an 81% snap rate. That was slightly down from his previous seasons, though given Slay’s age and the Eagles’ deep CB depth chart last season, it makes sense. Slay, however, played at least 85% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in each of their four playoff games — including an 88% Super Bowl LIX rate.
Pittsburgh had given Patrick Peterson a chance to play an age-33 season in 2023; the Steelers will bet on Slay having one more good year in the tank. Slay has planned for 2025 to be his finale. If so, he will work in a familiar system, as the six-time Pro Bowler began his ascent under Austin in Detroit. Austin coached the Lions’ defense from 2014-17; Slay’s issues with the Lions came after Matt Patricia‘s 2018 arrival. Patricia played a central role in the Eagles’ defensive descent in 2023, but Slay had signed off on a reunion. After the Eagles moved back on track with Vic Fangio, Slay reestablished momentum to gain a shot at a rare age-34 CB season.
Echols joined the Jets as a sixth-rounder in 2021. Over the course of his rookie contract, he racked up 19 starts (including 14 during his rookie campaign). Since that point, he has operated as a rotational defender while handling a notable special teams workload. That will likely remain the case with his newest team.
The team also signed veteran Darius Slay today, and Slay will likely take over the starting job across from Porter, while Bishop should continue to take the majority of the reps in the slot. Echols spent most of his defensive snaps on the outside, so he’ll likely continue to contribute there behind Porter and Slay.
A day after losing Najee Harristo 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.
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. McCarthyand 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.
PFR’s poll pointing to a potentialAaron 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.
Pittsburgh still may need to fend off the Giants, who were rumored to prefer Rodgers toRussell 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.
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