Pittsburgh

Steelers

Taking a page out of the wide receiver playbook, Watt dropped a cryptic post on his Instagram Thursday morning of him flashing a peace sign. As Rapoport noted, it doesn’t sound like the contract talks are going the way Watt wanted. Watt is about to enter the final year of his four-year, $112 million contract. The Steelers’ front office has already said publicly that they want to get a deal done with their star pass-rusher this offseason. Watt totaled 11.5 sacks and forced six fumbles last season. Even if the hard ball continues, the two sides should be able to reach an agreement before the start of the 2025 season.

The Steelers are doing their due diligence on the quarterback class with Shedeur Sanders in town for a visit on Thursday. McCord will get his chance to speak with Mike Tomlin and company next week. Pittsburgh is widely expected to sign Aaron Rodgers, but the move doesn’t appear near the finish line, leaving the Steelers with only Mason Rudolph at quarterback right now. Even if they do land the plane with Rodgers, Pittsburgh should be looking to add a long-term plan at quarterback via the draft. McCord erupted at Syracuse last year for an FBS-leading 4,779 passing yards and 34 scores.

It’s not promising news for Sanders’ draft stock that the Steelers believe they have a chance at getting him at No. 21 overall. But he would be a good fit for Pittsburgh as they try to find a quarterback of the future to complement what they are hoping will be the quarterback of the present as negotiations with Aaron Rodgers continue to be drawn-out. The Steelers are clearly in the market for a quarterback in this draft no matter what happens with Rodgers.

He mentions that the Giants and Browns could trade back into the first round to take Sanders as well, declaring it “the great question” of the NFL Draft in the first round. Draft scuttlebutt is always risky to fall into, but it does seem like the Browns and Giants aren’t selecting Sanders at No. 2 or No. 3 overall at this point. Sanders would certainly make sense for a Saints team that would probably like to move on from Derek Carr in the near future, and even if the Steelers get Aaron Rodgers, they would make sense as a team that needs a long-term solution at quarterback.

Anderson joined the Steelers on a one-year contract last offseason but only appeared in four regular season games due to an injury. The former UDFA has appeared in 50 games over his career, making 14 starts while playing primarily at left tackle. Anderson did not start for the Steelers in his four appearances last season and will likely serve as depth along the line on his new deal.

Milroe boasts legitimate 4.3 speed and a decent arm. Accuracy has long been a question for the Alabama product, but his ability to make plays with his feet makes it easy to see why teams would be enamored with the talent. He also met with the Jets and Steelers. Milroe could yet be drafted as their QB of the future with a late Day 1 or early Day 2 pick after throwing for 2,844-16-11 in his final season at Alabama while adding another 726 yards and 20 scores on the ground.

Pre-draft visits aren’t everything, but the Steelers have historically drafted from their visit list at a strikingly high clip. Five of Pittsburgh’s seven draft picks last year were brought in for a visit. Golden was a Day One hopeful after going for 987 yards and nine scores at Texas last year. He then cemented his status as a first-round wideout at the NFL Combine with a 4.29 Forty. With George Pickens entering a contract year, the Steelers could be looking for his successor via the draft, even with DK Metcalf also on the roster.

The Steelers parted ways with Najee Harris, now a Charger, after four seasons and in March signed former Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell to play alongside nominal lead back Jaylen Warren. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin complimented Gainwell for his success as a pass catcher in the flat, adding Gainwell has “a well-rounded game. He’s a capable and willing special teams player. Plays a lot on possession down ball.” Tomlin, however, said this year presents a “uniquely deep draft at [running back].” The team has completed pre-draft visits with a few high-profile backs: Ohio State’s tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, along with Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson. Warren, who has averaged a healthy 5.4 yards per carry over his first three NFL seasons, could face significant competition for backfield touches in 2025. Pittsburgh holds the 21st pick in the draft.

Rooney pointed to “positive signs” that Rodgers could finally be ready to sign with Pittsburgh after flaming out with the Jets last season. He added that the team would not wait “forever” for Rodgers to make his final decision. Rodgers, entering his age-41 season, reportedly meshed well with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in a March visit to the team facility. With the Giants signing Russell Wilson, the Steelers are the last viable landing spot for the mercurial veteran. The Vikings could change that calculus if they don’t commit to JJ McCarthy as their Week 1 starter, however.