Mike Evans didn’t waste any time making the Steelers’ receiver decision look shaky.
One game into his San Francisco 49ers tenure, the 33-year-old wideout looked every bit like a top option. In his debut Thursday in Australia, Evans caught six of seven targets for 49 yards and a touchdown. For a player some wondered might be nearing the end, the opening act said otherwise.
That performance landed with extra force in Pittsburgh, where Omar Khan had already addressed the position by trading with the Indianapolis Colts for Michael Pittman Jr. before free agency. The Steelers gave up only a late-round pick swap to move up a few spots late on Day 3 of the draft, but they also absorbed Pittman’s three-year, $70 million contract.
Pittman’s deal is manageable at first glance. His base salary for the 2026 season was lowered to $8.866 million, but the number jumps to $26 million in 2027 and $24 million in 2028. Evans, by contrast, signed a three-year, $42.5 million contract with the 49ers that averages $14.1 million per year, compared to Pittman’s $17.5 million annually, per Over the Cap.
The bigger issue for Pittsburgh is what Evans still looks like on the field.
Against a strong Rams defense in Week 1, he showed the kind of strength and timing that made him a problem for cornerbacks all day. Pro Football Focus gave Evans a 77.9 overall grade in his 49ers debut, the best mark on San Francisco’s offense and better than Puka Nacua’s 76.0 overall grade for the Rams.
The usage also looked familiar. Evans lined up for 21 passing snaps on the outside and six in the slot, a split that could have fit the Steelers’ plans just as easily. He went 3-for-3 on contested catches, and Brock Purdy posted a 135.4 passer rating when throwing Evans’ way.
None of that is meant to dismiss Pittman. He’s been a reliable WR2 over the course of his career.
But his game has limits. Even with his size, he doesn’t bring much burst or wiggle, which means a lot of his work comes on contested throws underneath, with limited room to generate yards after the catch.
Pittman turns 29 in October, so in theory he should offer more long-term runway than Evans. But Pittsburgh already had the oldest roster in the NFL, and Mike McCarthy is hyperfocused on winning playoff games.
In that context, Evans still looking like a WR1 only makes the fit more painful to imagine. Paired with DK Metcalf, he would have given Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense a much more dangerous edge this season.
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Steelers Legend Sees One Way Rodgers And McCarthy Change Everything
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For a defense built around stars like T.J. Watt and Joey Porter Jr., that kind of scoring support could be especially valuable. Pittsburgh averaged 23.4 points in 2025, and even a noticeable jump from there would give the Steelers more room to be aggressive, hunt turnovers and create pressure without worrying as much about every possession. The offense has the personnel to make that conversation real, but the real question is whether Rodgers and McCarthy can turn the theory into a steady advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Face Costly Joey Porter Jr. Decision They Can't Dodge
The Steelers are staring at one of those decisions front offices would rather put off, but cant really avoid for long. Joey Porter Jr. has quickly become the kind of high-ceiling cornerback who changes the conversation about a secondary, and that usually means the next conversation is about money. NFL analyst Jourdan Rodrigue recently framed the issue plainly: if Pittsburgh is not willing to meet the kind of contract Porter will be seeking, the club should at least consider moving him while his value remains strong.
Dallas has emerged as a logical place for that kind of scenario, which only adds to the pressure on the Steelers to decide what Porter is worth to them now versus later. Keeping him would preserve a premium talent at a premium position, but it also means eventually confronting a deal that could reshape the roster budget. Trading him would bring a different kind of flexibility, though it would also mean parting with a player the team believes still has significant room to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Enter Week 1 With One Huge Unknown Fans Can't Ignore
A season opener between two teams with new coaching staffs is usually messy enough on its own, and the Steelers have added another layer by handing the sideline to Mike McCarthy after the long Mike Tomlin run ended. Atlanta is getting ready to open the 2026 regular season against Pittsburgh, and both sides know this is not the kind of Week 1 where film from a year ago tells the whole story. With Tommy Rees and Jeff Ulbrich steering the Falcons offense and defense, and Brian Angelico and Patrick Graham doing the same for Pittsburgh, there will be plenty of new terminology, new tendencies and plenty of uncertainty.
For the Steelers, the bigger issue is how much of their new identity can actually be trusted before the first real snap. Coaches on both sides have talked about the difficulty of preparing for fresh schemes and personnel in an opener like this, where nobody really gets the comfort of familiar habits. Pittsburgh still has to sort out how McCarthys approach fits with the rest of the staff, and the answer to that question is part of what makes this matchup feel less like a routine Sunday and more like the first real glimpse at a team still being defined. [Read more 🡒]