The Steelers may have another hometown safety on their radar, but Jordan Whitehead looks more like a name to monitor than a name to chase.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Whitehead has been cleared to continue his NFL career after neck surgery he underwent in 2025 following a car accident. Garafolo also said the veteran safety recently worked out for the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans and is expected to meet with more teams soon, which could include Pittsburgh.
Whitehead’s path makes him an obvious fit on paper for a Steelers team that could use more depth behind Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott. He’s a Pittsburgh native who attended Central Valley High School before heading to Pitt, and his NFL resume includes plenty of familiar stops. Tampa Bay drafted him in the fourth round in 2018, and he was part of the Buccaneers’ secondary when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV in 2020 alongside current Steeler Jamel Dean.
He later signed a two-year deal with the New York Jets before the 2022 season and picked off Kenny Pickett’s first career pass for Pittsburgh in Week 4 that year. Whitehead was also Aaron Rodgers’ teammate in 2023, though Rodgers played only four snaps before suffering an Achilles injury. Whitehead returned to the Buccaneers in 2024, then missed all of 2025 after the neck injury.
The free-agent safety market still has other options, including Jimmie Ward, Donovan Wilson and Xavier Woods.
For Pittsburgh, the question is less about familiarity and more about fit. Brisker and Elliott both do their best work near the line of scrimmage, where they can hammer the run but can be up and down in coverage, especially deep. The Steelers tried to balance that by signing Darnell Savage to a one-year deal, but Savage has not looked like a reliable No. 3 safety after a significant regression.
There are younger options in the room, too, but they come with their own issues. Seventh-round pick Robert Spears-Jennings is a strong athlete who still needs a lot of development before he can be trusted in coverage, while Sebastian Castro brings the same kind of aggressive, physical run support as Brisker and Elliott without matching their coverage upside.
That leaves Pittsburgh with a clear need for another veteran who can handle roughly 30 percent of the defensive snaps behind Brisker, Elliott and perhaps Jalen Ramsey. Whitehead has played both box safety and free safety over the course of his career, and he has even mixed in some slot corner work, which speaks to his versatility.
Still, the biggest issue is whether he can get back to form and stay on the field after such a serious injury. Whitehead was not as effective for Tampa Bay in 2024 as he had been during his time with the Jets or in his earlier run with the Buccaneers, and expecting a full rebound in 2026 feels like a stretch.
That’s why, despite the hometown connection, Whitehead may not be the safest bet for Pittsburgh. Too many questions remain, and the Steelers would probably be better served looking elsewhere on the open market.
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