The Pittsburgh Steelers have been active in free agency, adding a few notable names to improve this team. The rest of the league has been just as busy, as players have been inked to big deals.
One position seeing a small revitalization is the running back position. Kenneth Walker landed a massive deal with the Chiefs, while Travis Etienne and JK Dobbins both landed deals in excess of $10 million per year. Running backs are once again getting paid.
For the Steelers, it just further cements how good of a deal they have with Jaylen Warren.
Warren inked a two-year extension last year for just under $6 million a year. In a world where running backs are getting double that, it feels like the Steelers got an amazing deal last year.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got an incredible deal with Jaylen Warren
For reference, the top-earning free agent running back, Walker, signed a deal worth almost $15 million a year to join the Chiefs. As a reference, Warren had about 50 total yards less than Walker in the regular season.
There is no world that the Walker should be getting paid three times as much as Warren.
Even Travis Etienne only had about 150 total yards more than Warren. The fact that these players are getting so much more money makes no sense to me.
Even Warren’s running mate, Kenneth Gainwell, is getting more money in 2026. I get that contracts go up with the cap, but it feels like malpractice at this point.
Is Warren a top back in the league? No, but he is capable in every facet of the game. I’d say he is easily a top 12 player at the position.
Despite that, Warren is getting paid next to the likes of Devin Singletary, who struggled to earn snaps as the third running back in New York.
Even with Rico Dowdle now in the mix, Warren still feels like the top dog in this room. I think he could be in for a big season once again in 2026, and he will do it all on a budget. Pittsburgh got a steal with this contract, and the Steelers should be counting their blessings that they got such a talented player on the cheap.