The Pittsburgh Steelers have turned over a lot of stones this offseason in order to better their roster. One of their goals clearly centered around improving the receiver room as it had been a wart for a few years.
One of their main additions was trading for former Colts standout Michael Pittman Jr.
The move was for relative peanuts. Pittman was being forced out due to his contract and the new mega-deal for Alec Pierce. For comparison’s sake, the Steelers had to send a can of beans in order to acquire him (a late-round pick swap in the 2026 NFL Draft).
Despite the low cost, some people seem less than enthralled with the Pittman deal. Seth Walder of ESPN has been quick to pan the Steelers' offseason and cites the Pittman deal as the worst of the entire year for Pittsburgh.
Simply put, this seems far fetched, all things considered.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made a savvy move acquiring Michael Pittman Jr.
While Pittman is certainly on the back end of his career, he can still be a steady second option for an offense. He is a good yin to DK Metcalf’s yang.
It seems like one of the bigger complaints is the contract the Steelers inherited. Pittman was well paid despite being a declining player, and Pittsburgh had to rework his deal to make things work.
Walder notes that Pittman is getting paid $24 million for one season, a stiff amount, but the team dropped his cap hit to just under $9 million dollars for this season. His cap hit spikes next year, but he can be easily cut if needed.
I get the argument that he is an overpay this year, but the Steelers are flush with cap space, so it won’t have any long-term impact on the team. It just seems silly to find that much fault in such a low-risk deal.
The fact of the matter is, the Steelers didn’t make a lot of big or risky moves this year. It’s hard to find a lot to pile on about. Personally, I think rehashing a mediocre quarterback at $22.5 million is worth discussing more than Pittman being added.
In short, this seems like an overreaction by ESPN. Making a stink about a low-risk deal like Pittman’s seems extreme.
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