The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to win back-to-back AFC North titles for the first time since the 2016-2017 seasons this upcoming year. Choosing to replace head coach Mike Tomlin with an experienced option in Mike McCarthy made it clear that they had no intention of rebuilding, despite plenty of evidence to suggest that they should.
If Pittsburgh really does believe it can compete for a championship this season, the latest massive move of the NFL offseason is a tough pill to swallow. The Baltimore Ravens traded two first-round picks in exchange for star edge rusher Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders, proving they, too, are not looking to rebuild after replacing long-time HC John Harbaugh.
The move is certainly aggressive (and perhaps an overpay), but it also makes the Steelers goal of repeating as division champs much more difficult.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will need to contend with a much different version of the Ravens in 2026 after the Maxx Crosby trade
The path to another AFC North title was already going to be hard for the Steelers, given all of the holes to fill on their roster. Still, the Ravens trading for Crosby puts a ton of pressure on general manager Omar Khan to make moves this offseason.
If Pittsburgh is serious about not taking a step back in the wake of so much change to their coaching staff and roster, this offseason will need to look a lot like their last one. The Steelers were more aggressive than ever, with multiple big trades and their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers dominating headlines throughout the summer.
It seems like the Ravens are the ones looking to be the story of the offseason, at least early on. You don't trade two first-round picks for a player approaching his 30s unless you are going all-in, so don't be surprised if they are big players in free agency next week as well. Assuming they can get a new deal done with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, they could open up more than enough cap space to add multiple starters.
The Steelers have the cap space to do the same, but the Steelers now have an even bigger advantage in terms of draft capital. The Ravens still have 10 projected picks in the 2026 NFL draft, but just two of them (pick 45, pick 80) are in the top 100. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has a projected 12 picks with five of them being in the top 100.
Maybe that means the Steelers will use that capital to make a big trade of their own, or they could look to move up in the draft to improve their chances of picking a true difference maker. If they do neither, however, it will be hard for the organization to stand by its stated goal of remaining competitive in 2026, especially with what is brewing in Baltimore.