After free agency, the NFL Draft, and executing multiple blockbuster trades, I want to say that it's safe to sit back and reflect on the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 offseason (but with Omar Khan, you never know). Looking at the roster late in the 2024 season compared to now, we've seen a tremendous amount of roster turnover at critical positions.
Despite their relatively slow start to the free agency period back in March, the Steelers ended up adding more high-profile names during the 2025 offseason than perhaps at any point during their storied history. This includes a former four-time MVP quarterback and multiple Pro Bowlers.
But how impressive were each of these offseason moves by Pittsburgh?
Though we need to see how things will play out during the 2025 season, I've taken the liberty of assigning a grade to the biggest and most notable Steelers signings, draft picks, and trade acquisitions ahead of training camp. For these grades, I factored what this team had to give up and projected what they could be getting in return.
Grading the biggest additions of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 offseason
If you're looking at this 'C' grade for the DK Metcalf trade, you might be thinking that this is critically low. The Steelers eventually made it clear that George Pickens wasn't going to be part of the future plans, and they needed a wide receiver they could count on. While Metcalf is a quality player, I'm still not thrilled with what Pittsburgh was forced to give up in this trade.
This was the double gut punch. Not only did the Steelers send the Seahawks a valuable second-round pick, but they were also forced to turn around and hand Metcalf a four-year, roughly $132 million contract extension at nearly $33 million per season in new money average.
Numbers like these would have already had some fans on the fence if the Steelers signed Metcalf as a free agent. Knowing they could have potentially landed a player like Davante Adams (who went to the Rams for $22 million per year in free agency) and kept the draft capital would have been a far better option. And in hindsight, knowing Aaron Rodgers would ultimately be the quarterback, signing Adams would have been a better option.
This was my least-favorite high-profile move of the Steelers' 2025 offseason. There was once a day when I would have been thrilled to land Darius Slay, but you'll have to excuse me for not being thrilled about landing a 34-year-old cornerback at the tail end of his career.
The Steelers tried something similar with Patrick Peterson in 2023, and the experiment went poorly. While Slay may have more left in the tank, he's also coming from a tremendously talented team in Philadelphia, and his shortcomings will be harder to mask on the Steelers.
Additionally, Slay has a notable $10 million cap hit on his one-year deal. The best part about this signing was that Slay was cut by the Eagles and did not count against the future compensatory formula. Still, I would temper expectations for the once-dominant cornerback, as he's already playing on borrowed time.
What's not to love about the Derrick Harmon selection in the 2025 NFL Draft? Yes, the Steelers could have gone in a number of directions with the 21st overall pick, but Harmon was my 13th overall prospect in the draft and was still available when the Steelers were on the clock.
Harmon comes at an interior defender position that is hard to find in today's NFL, and his combination of size and physical traits is undeniable. His 55 pressures in 2024 would have ranked 12th among all edge rushers in the Power Four last year, and he's only scratching the surface. The Steelers took a shot at finding a cornerstone, foundational building block in the NFL Draft this year, and I love the decision.
When it comes to straight-up value and investment, Kaleb Johnson was my favorite acquisition of the 2025 offseason. Though he won't make the same impact right away as a player like Aaron Rodgers or Jalen Ramsey, the Steelers found a true workhorse running back in the third round of a loaded RB draft.
Johnson was the 52nd-ranked player on the NFL Draft Expert Consensus Board, but the Steelers were able to snatch him up with the 83rd pick in the third round of the 2025 draft. After trading for Metcalf and forfeiting their second-round pick, landing a back like Johnson seemed highly unlikely.
Johnson is still just 21 years old and is a perfect scheme fit in Arthur Smith's wide zone offense in Pittsburgh. On a four-year, $6.37 million rookie contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers could wind up getting tremendous value out of this selection.
What other choice did the Steelers have at quarterback? Despite some comments from Art Rooney II and Omar Khan suggesting they were optimistic about getting Russell Wilson or Justin Fields back this year, it's clear they didn't want to move forward with another season of Wilson, and Mike Tomlin burned every bridge with Fields when he benched him in Week 7 of the 2024 season.
Aaron Rodgers might end up being the best of the three in 2025. It was dicey to hold out hope that he would sign. Fans need to remember that this isn't the same Rodgers who effortlessly strung together a Hall of Fame resume in Green Bay. Pittsburgh will no doubt get something more similar to the player we saw in New York last season.
Still, Rodgers could be good enough to give this team a fighting chance in the postseason. Unfortunately, this is just a one-year, stop-gap option, and the Steelers will need to once again find a new starting quarterback next offseason.
Like Rodgers, we're not getting the prime version of Jalen Ramsey here. But I'm far more optimistic about what Ramsey could offer this team in 2025 compared to fellow veteran cornerback Darius Slay. Ramsey, 30, showed to be a versatile player for the Dolphins, who can give a defense snaps practically anywhere on the field, including slot cornerback.
While fans were disappointed to see Minkah Fitzpatrick leave in the trade with the Dolphins, the Steelers were able to swap a safety with a severe lack of ball production over the past two seasons for a more valuable defensive back with significantly more versatility.
Chalk this up as a win for the Steelers that will make the defense stronger in 2025. Ramsey offers the nickel cornerback presence and CB depth this team has been lacking for years.
Almost as an afterthought, Jonnu Smith was thrown into the Jalen Ramsey-Minkah Fitzpatrick trade. Smith was never known around the league for being an elite tight end, and for most of his career, he's been an H-back type who does a bit of everything. However, last season, he proved to be a spectacular option in the passing game for the Dolphins.
Smith is coming off a season that included 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Meanwhile, he earned a top-five PFF grade among NFL tight ends last season and was the only player on the Dolphins to earn Pro Bowl honors last year.
I still don't know how offensive coordinator Arthur Smith plans to use Smith in tandem with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, but you can never have too many quality skill players, and the price was right.