The Pittsburgh Steelers were an active team to start free agency, quickly addressing some of their biggest needs. The team traded for and extended wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., added running back Rico Dowdle, and also invested in the secondary by re-signing Asante Samuel Jr. and adding new guys Jamel Dean (CB) and Jaquan Brisker (S).
All of these moves earned Pittsburgh a B+ grade from Gordon McGuinness, who assigned an early free agency grade to every team in a recent PFF piece. McGuinness argued that the Steelers’ early moves ranged from average to very good, with most of them being above average. That means Pittsburgh is moving in the right direction as it starts the Mike McCarthy era, but one major question remains: who will be the team’s quarterback?
Pittsburgh Steelers receive positive free agency grade as quarterback remains a mystery
Pittsburgh desperately needed another productive receiver outside of DK Metcalf, and the franchise got one with the addition of Pittman Jr., who has over 700 receiving yards in each of his last five seasons. The Steelers also needed running back help after losing Kenneth Gainwell in free agency, and Rico Dowdle, fresh off back-to-back 1000-yard seasons, is that help.
Now, with some of the biggest holes on the offensive side of the ball filled, the Steelers await the decision that will define their offseason. Just like last offseason, the decision is whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be playing for the team in the upcoming season. Last year, the answer was yes, and while the star quarterback hasn’t made a decision yet, many people believe Pittsburgh’s decision not to pursue any veteran QBs points to another year for Rodgers.
That could be the case, or the Steelers could just be comfortable with handing things over to Will Howard if Rodgers decides to retire. There’s also the possibility that Pittsburgh drafts a quarterback like Ty Simpson in the 2026 Draft. Whatever the outcome at the quarterback position for the Steelers, the 2026 starting quarterback will be stepping into a lineup that was improved somewhat in the early stages of free agency.