Lost in all the fanfare of the Pittsburgh Steelers' chaotic offseason, the signing of former Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell has turned out to be one of the best signings any team made heading into 2025.
Gainwell shockingly leads the Steelers in receptions through 15 games with 62, and his 911 scrimmage yards are second on the team, only to Jaylen Warren. He has blown past his career highs in just about every statistical category, and he is doing it for just $1.79 million on his one-year contract.
That would be a lot of money for you and me, but it ranks just 42nd among running backs in average annual salary. Gainwell ranks higher than that (41st) in scrimmage yards among all players this season, further highlighting how big a bargain he has been for the Steelers in 2025.
At the rate he is producing, and with rookie running back Kaleb Johnson clearly not ready to see the field, Pittsburgh may need to open up the checkbook and bring Gainwell back to maintain their dynamic two-headed backfield in 2026 and beyond.
Pittsburgh Steelers must pony up and bring Kenneth Gainwell back on a new contract
I can't imagine anyone was expecting Gainwell to be as important to the Steelers as he has been, but this has been an odd year for Pittsburgh's offense. New top receiver DK Metcalf has had some big games, but he has failed to truly establish himself as an impact player on a weekly basis.
With the rest of the receiver depth chart struggling to make an impact, and their bevy of tight ends also failing to stand out on a regular basis, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has looked to Gainwell as his top target. It wasn't very effective early in the season when he was peppering him with targets, but the veteran back has been on a tear over the past six games.
He has averaged 94.6 total yards per game during that stretch, and he has scored four of his seven touchdowns on the season as well.
He was a huge part of all four of the Steelers' victories in those six weeks, and they may need to lean on him even more with Metcalf set to miss time due to a suspension. Based on how he has looked this season, I wouldn't be surprised if he is up for the task.
At this point, he has more than earned a new contract worth significantly more than his current salary. He will be just 27 going into 2026 and should have less than 700 career touches, so he should still have a few years left of this level of play in him. I would say a two-year, $10 million offer would get it done, and he would be well worth it.