The Pittsburgh Steelers had no choice but to make significant changes to their wide receiver corps once again this offseason. Just a year after acquiring DK Metcalf, the Steelers were forced to revamp their wideouts after another disappointing offensive season.
Pittsburgh moved on from Calvin Austin, Marques Valdes-Scantling, and Adam Thielen, and all three had big roles at times last year. And rather than dipping their toes into the free-agent market, they decided to make a trade for Michael Pittman Jr, a proven asset who should fit well with Aaron Rodgers.
The Steelers needed another big-bodied receiver whom Rodgers could trust to run the right routes and be in the right spots. While he has lost some of his quickness over the years, his size and dependability should be a massive upgrade over what Pittsburgh had on the roster last year.
But did the Steelers overpay for Pittman? Well, that depends on who you ask.
ESPN believes the Pittsburgh Steelers made a mistake trading for Michael Pittman Jr.
In a recent article by Seth Walder of ESPN, he wrote about every team’s best and worst moves of the offseason. Walder praised the Jamel Dean signing as he believes he is one of the best cornerbacks in the league on a per-snap basis. And considering the contract Pittsburgh signed him to, it’s hard not to love that move.
But Walder was not so kind when it came to the Michael Pittman Jr. trade. While Pittsburgh only gave up a late-round pick, Walder believes the Steelers are now overpaying Pittman by a wide margin.
Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the move and why he was so against it:
“The Pittman trade was a mistake, though. He has $24 million due in 2026, which is more than I think he would receive on the open market. Why pay Pittman $24 million when Wan'Dale Robinson made $17.5 million per year as a free agent? In essence, the Steelers traded a late-round pick swap for a negative value contract.”
Walder does have a point, to a degree. However, Pittman is actually only making $17.5 million per year, which is the same as Wan’Dale Robinson's, whom he cited. And in terms of fully guaranteed money, Pittman is set to earn just $24 million, while Robinson received $38 million, according to OverTheCap.com.
Pittman is currently the 28th highest-paid receiver in the NFL and has no guaranteed money on his contract beyond 2026. Pittsburgh could move on after the 2026 season and would have a dead cap hit of just $15 million, while the team would save nearly $11 million against the cap. That is the worst-case scenario, but it’s a deal that the Steelers can get out of relatively easily.
The biggest concern is what Pittman provides in 2026 and whether he is worth the $24 million that is guaranteed. He will turn 29 in October, and he has seen his yards per target and receiving yards per game drop in each of the past three seasons. However, his role will be shifting in Pittsburgh, and he will now be asked to be more of a complementary player rather than the focal point of the offense.
Time will tell if the Steelers got a steal here and how he will fit into the offense. But despite Walder’s concerns, there just isn’t too much risk here for the Steelers. They had the cap space to spend, and it didn’t cost them a notable draft pick to acquire Pittman.
Pittman might not be the receiver who takes them over the top, but he certainly didn’t break the bank, either. And for that reason, it’s hard to be too critical of this decision by Omar Khan.
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