It didn't even take two full days for the Pittsburgh Steelers to schedule a meeting with Kyle Juszczyk. After being informed by the San Francisco 49ers that he would released at the start of the new league year, the nine-time Pro Bowler is now a free agent... and the Steelers already had him on speed dial.
On Thursday, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter announced that the Steelers plan to meet with Juszczyk today about a possible signing. This is the move everyone should have seen coming a mile away.
Juszczyk developed a reputation as one of the best fullbacks in the league nearly a decade ago, and the 49ers have had some impressive rushing attacks with him leading the charge. Meanwhile, the Steelers possessed one of the least efficient rushing attacks in the NFL last season despite their recent investments in the offensive line.
That's where Kyle Juszczyk comes in.
Though the long-time fullback turns 34 years old before the 2025 NFL Draft, he's coming off his ninth straight Pro Bowl campaign and wants to continue playing football. The Steelers are the perfect landing spot.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should sign free-agent fullback Kyle Juszczyk immediately
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have a true fullback on their roster in 2024, but perhaps that's part of their problem. For a team that insists on running the football as frequently as anyone in the league, they better have the right personnel to execute their game plan.
Juszczyk would help in this deparment. As the lead blocker for running back Christian McCaffrey, Juszczyk earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and was named second-team All-Pro last season when McCaffrey was injured.
The veteran fullback rarely gets involved as a runner (just 10 rushing attempts over the past two seasons), but he can chip in as a pass-catcher out of the backfield when called upon. Juszczyk has had at least 200 receiving yards in nine of the past ten seasons.
But there's more than one reason the Steelers should rush to sign the veteran fullback.
In addition to what Juszczyk would bring to the table as a blocker and receiver, signing the former 49ers star wouldn't count against Pittsburgh's compensatory formula. Because Juszczyk was released and didn't hit the free agent market on an expired contract, whatever contract the Steelers might give him would not cancel out any of the draft picks they are scheduled to receive in 2026.
This is a good thing for a team that may need as much draft capital as possible to trade up for a quarterback in next year's draft. As of now, the Steelers are scheduled to earn third- and fourth-round compensatory picks as well as two sixth-round comp picks for their departures in free agency this year.
Obviously, this is just a bonus, but every bit of draft capital helps. When you put the pieces of the puzzle together, the Steelers meeting with Kyle Juszczyk just makes too much sense to ignore. I wouldn't be surprised if a signing quickly follows.