The Steelers went into the offseason knowing they had to reshape their receiver room again, and the front office chose a familiar kind of bet: a proven veteran who can help right away instead of chasing another lottery ticket.
That move brought Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh, and on paper it makes sense. The Steelers had already made changes after another disappointing offensive year, moving on from Calvin Austin, Marques Valdes-Scantling, and Adam Thielen. With DK Metcalf already in the mix from a year earlier, Pittsburgh wanted another big target for Aaron Rodgers - someone who could run the right routes, land in the right spots and give the quarterback a reliable body type to work with.
Still, not everyone liked how the Steelers handled it.
ESPN’s Seth Walder flagged the Pittman deal as one of Pittsburgh’s offseason missteps, calling it a mistake in a recent breakdown of each team’s best and worst moves. Walder was complimentary of the Jamel Dean signing, but he came down hard on the receiver trade, arguing that Pittsburgh was paying too much for what it got.
“The Pittman trade was a mistake, though. He has $24 million due in 2026, which is more than I think he would receive on the open market.
Why pay Pittman $24 million when Wan'Dale Robinson made $17.5 million per year as a free agent? In essence, the Steelers traded a late-round pick swap for a negative value contract.”
There is a catch, though. Walder’s criticism leans on a couple of contract details that need some context.
Pittman is actually making $17.5 million per year, the same number Walder referenced for Robinson, and his fully guaranteed money is $24 million. Robinson, by comparison, got $38 million guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com.
That matters because Pittman’s deal is far from a backbreaking commitment. He is the 28th highest-paid receiver in the league, and there’s no guaranteed money left on his contract beyond 2026. If Pittsburgh wants out after that season, it can do it with a $15 million dead cap hit and nearly $11 million in cap savings.
The real question is what Pittman looks like in 2026. He’ll turn 29 in October, and his yards per target and receiving yards per game have dipped in each of the past three seasons.
Even so, his role in Pittsburgh should be different now. He is not being asked to carry the whole offense; he is being brought in as a complement.
That’s why this deal feels more like a calculated swing than a reckless overpay. The Steelers had the cap room, and the price in draft capital was minimal. Pittman may not be the guy who transforms the offense, but he also didn’t cost enough to make this a move the Steelers should regret before he even takes a snap.
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