After years of mostly quiet offseasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, General Manager Omar Khan has completely overhauled the roster over the past three seasons. The 2025 offseason has been by far his most active, with huge trades for DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith, not to mention the signing of Aaron Rodgers.
While the reception of those moves has been all over the place, it's hard to argue that Khan isn't doing everything in his power to change the narrative of the team. Years of mediocrity have made many fans lose faith in the proud franchise, and these moves could be what gets them out of that slump.
Once again, however, not everyone has been a fan of their wild offseason. Appearing on the PBKC Pebble Beach Kennel Club podcast, Patrick Rooney Jr. (grandson of Steelers owner Art Rooney II) had this to say about Pittsburgh's big moves.
"Ramsey is kind of a headcase," Rooney Jr. said. "And this team is not generally conducive to being able to deal with headcases. AKA, George Pickens, who we just had to get rid of. And you bring in DK Metcalf, who's a little bit like George Pickens, in terms of being a headcase. And now you got another one in there."
Art Rooney II's grandson Patrick Rooney Jr. roasts Pittsburgh Steelers offseason
Rooney Jr. didn't just comment on the Steelers big trades, he also weighed in on whether the team should extend T.J. Watt's contract.
"T.J. is a great player, great Steeler, insane to pay him anything right now," he said. "Absolutely insane. He's 31 years old. But again, if you're going all-in this year, then you're going to have to re-sign him. You're making moves right now that you're trying to do something this year. That, to me, based on anything you've seen the last few years, just doesn't make sense."
Hearing those scalding thoughts from a member of the Rooney family, even one who has no role in the team or organization as a whole, is certainly interesting. Many fans likely agree with the sentiment that these moves (and the expected move to extend Watt) may fail to get the team to where they want to go.
Even so, the Steelers are not the type of organization that is interested in a full rebuild. Trading away pieces and "tanking" a season just isn't in their DNA. Would I have made all the same moves that Khan and the rest of the front office did this offseason? No, but I also understand the reason behind each one of them.
Whether this chaotic offseason produces better results on the field remains to be seen, but Art Rooney II is hoping his grandson will need to eat his words.