Pittsburgh

Steelers

Gainwell doesn’t seem to be a major free-agent priority signing for anybody, but figures to do quite well for himself after putting up 73/486 through the air and amassing 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He figures to be a potential third-down back upgrade for several teams in free agency, though the Steelers remain a great fit for him as he slotted in well behind Jaylen Warren.

Jones missed Weeks 13-18 and the playoffs with the neck injury, which appears to be quite serious. Dylan Cook started Pittsburgh’s playoff game against the Texans and would appear to be the reasonable depth headed into the season if Jones — on the final year of his rookie contract — isn’t able to go from the jump.

Khan told reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday that he has been in touch with Rodgers, 42, and doesn’t “foresee this going like it did last year,” when Rodgers drew out his decision to play for the Steelers well into the spring. ESPN reported on February 13 that Rodgers is “more likely than not” to return to Pittsburgh and play for his former Packers coach Mike McCarthy. Rodgers in 2025 showed some improvement over his play with the Jets in 2024. He ranked 23rd out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks last season in drop back EPA and 33rd in drop back success rate.

Kaboly went as far as saying the Steelers believed they had a deal done for Waddle before last season’s trade deadline. While adding another wide receiver to go along with D.K. Metcalf seems to be a priority for the Steelers, it ultimately takes two teams to make a trade. Pittsburgh’s pursuit of Waddle before last year’s trade deadline came up short and NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported on Friday that the Dolphins aren’t interested in trading Waddle this offseason. That could also be posturing by the Dolphins to get better trade offers. If truly available, Waddle will be one of the big names to watch at the NFL Combine next week.

Pryor believes that the Steelers would like to know Rodgers’ intentions “sooner rather than later,” ideally before the NFL Combine for scouting purposes. During new head coach Mike McCarthy’s interview process, McCarthy reportedly laid out a plan to develop 2025 sixth-round pick, QB Will Howard, who missed most of last season due to a “freak” pinky finger injury. McCarthy is a “big fan” of Howard, though one wonders how big a fan he is, given Pryor’s comments about Rodgers’ decision-making timing regarding the NFL Combine.

Kugler spent the last two seasons serving as an assistant offensive line coach with the Patriots. He held the same role with the Panthers in the two prior seasons. The Pat McAfee Show’s Steelers correspondent, Mark Kaboly, notes that Krugler is a former Steelers training camp “ball boy” and son of former Steelers OL coach Sean Kugler.

Well here’s a whole news cycle for the next five months, anyway. Again, it’s hard to argue that there’s a better fate for the Steelers out there between the lack of non-No. 1 overall quarterbacks in this year’s draft and how diminished free agency looks this year. But if you were hoping for a quick retirement after Mike Tomlin gracefully resigned his position, we can welcome you back to the 2025 Offseason Part II. We’ll have more of the same for the next several blurbs on Rodgers.

“It would not be a surprise if Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh,” Pelissero says. Look for us to repeat some version of this blurb 20 times over the next five months, and after that perhaps we’ll get an actual resolution. Hiring Mike McCarthy — who Pelissero notes has spoken to Rodgers several times — surely put this in motion. Rodgers and the Steelers would also need to work out a contract for him to return.

Swinton coached with the Raiders over the last three seasons. He was hired as the Raiders’ assistant special teams coach in 2023 and was promoted to interim special teams coordinator in November 2025. He served as the Chargers’ special teams coordinator before that.

Whitt will also hold the title of secondary coach. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was first on the news. He notes that Whitt coached under new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy for 11 seasons in Green Bay. White also spent another three years with McCarthy in Dallas. As expected, McCarthy is getting the band back together in Pittsburgh. Whitt spent the past two years as the Commanders’ defensive coordinator.