The Pittsburgh Steelers went into last offseason facing a crossroads-one that felt all too familiar. Another promising start had unraveled into a 10-3 collapse and a quick playoff exit, leaving the franchise staring down the same questions that had haunted it for years.
The sting of another one-and-done postseason wasn’t just about the loss itself-it was about what it revealed. The problems weren’t new.
And they weren’t going away.
Before free agency kicked off or draft boards were finalized, the Steelers were already grappling with three defining issues:
What was the identity of their defense?
Who was going to play quarterback?
And how much longer could they go without winning in January?
Fast forward a year, and those same questions still echo through the halls of the organization. That alone says a lot about where things stood-and still stand-for one of the NFL’s proudest franchises.
A Defense Full of Talent, Searching for Consistency
On paper, the Steelers’ defense had the pieces. T.J.
Watt remained a game-wrecker, the kind of player who can tilt the field all by himself. Around him, there was a mix of veterans and newer faces, enough to believe this unit could be the team’s backbone.
But the reality was far more complicated.
This defense struggled to find consistency. Communication breakdowns showed up at the worst possible times.
Big plays-especially in critical moments-became a recurring problem. When the playoffs rolled around, it wasn’t the defense rising to the occasion.
It was the defense getting exposed.
The conversation last offseason wasn’t about talent-it was about cohesion. Could the coaching staff take these individual pieces and mold them into something greater than the sum of their parts? Could they build a unit that wasn’t just good in spurts, but dependable when it mattered most?
Watt was the foundation. But the rest of the structure? Still under construction.
A Quarterback Room With More Questions Than Answers
The Steelers entered the 2025 offseason in a rare and precarious spot: not a single quarterback under contract.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both hit free agency, and neither brought the clarity the team desperately needed. Wilson had a midseason stretch where he looked like a stabilizing force, but when the lights were brightest, the offense sputtered. Fields brought youth, athleticism, and flashes of potential-but also a résumé that raised legitimate concerns about his long-term viability as a starter.
Pittsburgh was stuck between two imperfect options.
Wilson wanted a contract that didn’t match his late-season production.
Fields wanted a commitment the Steelers weren’t ready to make.
And the outside market? It didn’t offer much in the way of upgrades.
This wasn’t a simple case of choosing between good and bad. It was a choice between two versions of uncertain. And for a franchise that’s long prided itself on stability, that kind of ambiguity at the most important position in sports was deeply unsettling.
A Playoff Drought That Couldn’t Be Ignored Anymore
Team president Art Rooney II had made it clear: 2024 was supposed to be different. The Steelers were supposed to take the next step. The postseason frustration was supposed to end.
Instead, they were run off the field-again-this time by Baltimore.
That made it three straight playoff appearances, three straight blowout losses:
**Kansas City. Buffalo.
Baltimore. **
The pattern was no longer an anomaly-it was the identity. And that forced the organization to confront some uncomfortable truths.
Was the longstanding belief in continuity and stability-hallmarks of the Steelers’ DNA-now standing in the way of progress?
Was Mike Tomlin still the right leader to guide this team forward?
Were the moves of recent years meaningful steps toward contention, or just window dressing?
These weren’t just football questions. They were existential ones. The kind that force a franchise to look in the mirror and ask if the path they’re on is still the right one.
Free Agency Exposed Just How Thin the Margin Had Become
As the 2025 offseason unfolded, the Steelers’ list of pending free agents painted a clear picture: this roster didn’t have much room for error.
Some players were productive, but aging. Others were promising, but potentially too expensive to retain. The quarterback situation dominated headlines, but the tough decisions extended across the board.
- Russell Wilson: Veteran presence, but with a price tag that didn’t match the production.
- Justin Fields: Youthful upside, but still too many unknowns.
- Najee Harris: A workhorse back, but possibly too costly in a surging RB market.
- Jaylen Warren: Reliable and affordable, a potential RB1 if Harris moved on.
- Donte Jackson & Elandon Roberts: Veterans whose roles didn’t always match their fit in the scheme.
The Steelers weren’t just trying to fill holes-they were trying to figure out who they could realistically build around, and who needed to be let go. Every move felt like a balancing act between the present and the future.
One Year Later, the Same Questions Still Linger
Looking back, it’s clear that the 2025 offseason wasn’t just about a single year’s worth of decisions. It was about a franchise caught between two eras-still competitive, still talented, but unable to take that next step.
They were trying to define who they were on defense.
They were trying to find a quarterback they could trust.
They were trying to win a playoff game. Just one.
And the fact that those questions are still hanging in the air today? That’s the clearest sign yet of how pivotal-and how unresolved-that offseason truly was.