Steelers' outlook for 2024 and beyond after the NFL Trade Deadline

In their current state, many fans believed the Pittsburgh Steelers would make a splash before the NFL trade deadline, and the front office delivered. With aging quarterback Russell Wilson on a veteran benefit contract in 2024 and Mike Tomlin's team sitting on a 6-2 record before the deadline, the time to act is in the present.

General manager Omar Khan worked the phones to land Jets wide receiver Mike Williams and Packers pass rusher Preston Smith just hours before the trade deadline passed. Both players stand to play pivotal roles in Pittsburgh for the remainder of the season.

But how will this team look in the future? Let's break down how Pittsburgh's decisions at the 2024 trade deadline will impact the team in 2024 and beyond.

Steelers outlook for 2024 season

The Pittsburgh Steelers got better at the NFL trade deadline; you won't hear much pushback to suggest otherwise. A team in desperate need of a WR2 found an option to pair with George Pickens. Even if Mike Williams is a shade of his former self, the 6'4'' receiver still has outstanding ball skills and body control and will be an upgrade over Van Jefferson on the outside.

The addition of Williams offers both depth and talent to a wide receiver room that desperately lacked options outside of Pickens. Williams' presence on the field could increase the ceiling of the offense while adding stability and consistency in the passing game.

Defensively, the addition of Preston Smith is an underrated move that gives the Steelers a fantastic fourth option on the edge. Smith, a ten-year NFL veteran, has production up and down the defensive line over his long NFL career, and he's just as effective rushing from both sides.

Smith is a run-stuffing specialist who should give Pittsburgh a boost in this department, and this trade acquisition means the Steelers are unlikely to rely on a reserve player like Jeremiah Moon in 2024.

Overall, both the offense and defense got an upgrade at the trade deadline. For a team already trending toward a playoff spot in the AFC, these additions offer much-needed depth and more veteran leadership for the rest of the season.

Steelers outlook in 2025 and beyond

While Pittsburgh increased their chances of being a serious contender in 2024 with the moves they made before the NFL trade deadline, these acquisitions don't positively impact the future of the team in 2025 and beyond.

Williams will play out the remainder of the one-year, $10 million contract (worth up to $15 million) he signed with the Jets during the 2024 offseason. From a financial standpoint, this is a low-risk move for the Steelers. However, he will be a free agent following the 2024 season.

Smith, meanwhile, is under contract through the 2026 season, but his lofty base salary reaches or exceeds $12 million in 2025 and 2026. This is too much money to dish out to a player who will be coming off the bench for the Steelers -- even if he performs well in Pittsburgh.

Smith's contract is essentially a one-year rental, and the veteran is likely to become a cap casualty early in the 2025 offseason. Outside of a workout bonus each of the next two seasons, Smith has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal, and the Steelers could save $13.4 million by cutting him in 2025 with zero dead money.

These trades didn't come without a cost to the team. To land Williams, the Steelers were forced to give the NY Jets a fifth-round pick (though it has been determined this will be the lower pick between their original selection and the fifth-rounder they own from the Rams). The addition of Smith was accompanied by Pittsburgh sending a seventh-round pick to the Green Bay Packers.

Thanks to the picks the Steelers acquired from other teams, they will still have selections in every round (with the exception of round six) and are on track to have eight total selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to Tankathon.com.

This could have been more had it not been for the trades, but Tomlin would gladly give up some Day 3 draft capital to increase his chances of making a deep playoff run.