Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers could be losing their 2025 team MVP.

Via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, running back Kenneth Gainwell will be testing the market next week upon expiration of his one-year deal with the Steelers. (Post-Combine, Gainwell’s agent surely has a good idea as to what the market will be.)

Gainwell was a bargain for the Steelers a year ago, signing a one-year, $1.79 million deal.

Last year, Gainwell had a career-high 537 rushing yards, a career-high 486 receiving yards, and a career-high eight touchdowns. He appeared in 17 games with only two starts.

Starter Jaylen Warren currently makes $5.9 million per year, on a deal that runs through 2027. He had 958 rushing yards, 333 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns last year.

If Gainwell leaves, he’ll be the first team MVP to exit in free agency since 1996, when quarterback Neil O’Donnell defected for the Jets.

Whether someone will offer a significant contract to Gainwell remains to be seen. The simple reality for the Steelers, given the nature of the running back position, is that they’ll find another veteran running back to take a one-year deal similar to the one Gainwell signed last March, if Gainwell goes to a new team.

Teams making decisions about picking up the fifth-year options on the contracts of their 2023 first-round picks now know how much that will cost.

The NFL revealed the values on Friday afternoon. There are four levels of compensation at each position. Players who have made multiple Pro Bowls as an original selection are at the top followed by players with one Pro Bowl selection and players who have hit playing time milestones before reaching the lowest level.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were the first two picks of that draft and both of them reached the playing time level of compensation. That will leave them with fully guaranteed salaries of $25.904 million if the teams decide to exercise the options, but longer-term extensions are also a possibility now that they have finished their third seasons.

The full list of 2023 first-rounders — there were 31 that year because the Dolphins were stripped of their pick — and their fifth-year option salaries appears below:

1. Panthers QB Bryce Young — $25.904 million (playing time).
2. Texans QB C.J. Stroud — $25.904 million (playing time).
3. Texans DE Will Anderson — $21.512 (Pro Bowl).
4. Colts QB Anthony Richardson — $22.483 million (base).
5. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon — $21.161 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
6. Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — $19.072 million (playing time).
7. Raiders DE Tyree Wilson — $14.475 million (base).
8. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson — $11.323 million (Pro Bowl).
9. Eagles DT Jalen Carter — $27.127 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
10. Bears OT Darnell Wright — $19.072 million (playing time).
11. Titans OG Peter Skoronski — $19.072 million (playing time).
12. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs — $14.293 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
13. Packers DE Lukas Van Ness — $14.475 million (base).
14. Steelers OT Broderick Jones — $19.072 million (playing time).
15. Jets DE Will McDonald — $14.475 million (base).
16. Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes — $12.633 million (base).
17. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez — $18.119 million (Pro Bowl).
18. Lions LB Jack Campbell — $21.925 million (Pro Bowl).
19. Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey — $15.451 (playing time).
20. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — $23.852 million (Pro Bowl).
21. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston — $18 million (playing time).
22. Ravens WR Zay Flowers — $27.298 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
23. Vikings WR Jordan Addison — $18 million (playing time).
24. Giants CB Deonte Banks — $12.633 million (base).
25. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid — $8.162 million (base).
26. Jets DT Mazi Smith — $13.391 million (base) Smith was traded to the Jets by the Cowboys.
27. Jaguars OT Anton Harrison — $19.072 million (playing time).
28. Bengals DE Myles Murphy — $14.475 million (base).
29. Saints DT Bryan Bresee — $13.391 million (base).
30. Eagles LB Nolan Smith — $13.752 million (base).
31. Chiefs Felix Anudike-Uzomah — $14.475 million (base).

The latest NFL Players Association report cards graded the Steelers’ home field as the worst in the NFL “by a wide margin.” Coincidentally (or not), the Steelers are replacing the playing surface.

Via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, team owner Art Rooney II said Thursday that the new grass will be Tahoma 31 Bermuda. It’s a mix of Bermuda and bluegrass. The Eagles and Bears currently use it.

“It sounds crazy, but they grow the grass on a plastic sheet first to make sure the roots are growing,” Rooney said at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “It’s a different blend of what we have been using. They’ve been using it in other places and it’s been working.”

The Steelers previously used Kentucky bluegrass. The field experiences extra wear and tear because both the Steelers and the Pitt Panthers play at Acrisure Stadium, sometimes on the same weekend.

The Steelers have resisted using artificial turf. But they haven’t ruled it out.

“The only way we would consider [an artificial surface] is if the sod farms can’t produce good grass for us,” Rooney said. “We’re kind of at their mercy. If something happened with the sod farms not producing enough of the good grass, we would have to consider a change.”

Hopefully, it won’t come to that. Other teams in a four-season climate have found a way to make grass fields work well. It’s a matter of making the proper investment.

Given the Steelers overall scores on the latest NFLPA report cards, it’s fair to ask whether the Steelers are willing or able to pay what it takes to give the players the best facilities and field.

At one point last year, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Then he got off to a rough start to the season, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October, and became one of the biggest question marks in this year’s draft.

Allar is at the Combine, where he’s healthy enough that he’s expected to take part in throwing drills, and teams will be taking a close look to see where he is and what kind of player they think he can be.

The Steelers are one of those teams and have met with Allar in Indianapolis, according to PennLive.com. The quarterback situation in Pittsburgh is in flux, as Aaron Rodgers has not said whether he’ll play this year and could sign elsewhere if he returns for 2026. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard are the two holdover quarterbacks on the roster. The Steelers could see value in adding Allar to the roster, even if he doesn’t project to play as a rookie.

Allar finished his Penn State career with a 63.2 percent completion rate, 7,402 passing yards, 61 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and another 732 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing. He has a strong arm, and many of the traits NFL teams look for in a quarterback. In a year when the quarterback class is wide open beyond projected first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, Allar will hope to impress in Indianapolis.

In 2012, the NFL implemented a two-day negotiating period for impending free agents, in advance of the official launch of free agency. It allows all teams to negotiate with any and all players whose contracts expire with the launch of the new league year.

The talks happen exclusively with agents, unless players are self-represented. The teams are not allowed to speak directly to players who employ agents. This results in players routinely being signed sight unseen.

The Steelers have proposed an adjustment to this approach. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Pittsburgh wants teams to be able to speak by video or phone call with up to five players during the two-day window.

The proposal also would allow teams to make travel arrangements with the player once an agreement to terms has been reached.

The tweak would give teams and players a limited chance to get acquainted before negotiations result in an agreement. That makes sense for everyone. Currently, it’s all about numbers and nothing more during the negotiating window. Why not give both the team and the player a chance to have direct communications before deciding whether to make such a significant commitment?

There’s no downside. Tampering already happens, rampantly. During the Scouting Combine, agents are meeting with teams to have contract discussions that currently are prohibited. In plenty of situations, those conversations began days if not weeks before the NFL descended on Indianapolis.

Once the negotiating period opens, teams and players are permitted to reach agreements in principle. It’s appropriate to give teams and players a chance to acquire more information before it gets to that point.

Our only suggestion would be this — don’t limit it to five. During the two-day period, let teams talk directly to any and all players who are due to become free agents.

By then, the cat has long since exited the bag. At that point, it’s about finding the right fits. More information will help avoid a case of buyer’s (or seller’s) remorse.

When you come at the NFLPA report cards, you best not miss.

The NFL tried to block the creation of team-by-team report cards by the NFL Players Association. The league won a hollow victory, preventing their publication but not ending their existence.

As a result, the report cards inevitably have been leaked.

Kalyn Kahler of ESPN.com has obtained the information. The report cards show, among other things, that the Dolphins finished first in the league — and that the Steelers finished dead last, for the first time. (Last year, Pittsburgh landed at 28th.)

The Cardinals came in at 31st in the 2026 report cards. The Browns are 30th.

Per the materials, "[Steelers owner] Art Rooney [II] ranks last in the league for willingness to invest in facilities, a trend reflected in the Steelers’ poor facility ratings across the board.”

The 2026 report cards include a new category: quality of home field. The Steelers finished last “by a wide margin.”

The Steelers also got an F for their locker room, with players saying it “has only five bathroom stalls for the entire team.”

The NFL surely won’t be happy that the report cards came to light. In the recent ruling resolving the grievance filed by the NFL regarding the process, the arbitrator concluded that the NFLPA “must, of course, make clear to its members and anyone else who will have internal access to the 2026 Report Cards that those Cards, and the criticisms contained in them, are not [to] be made public.”

With upwards of 2,000 union members, a leak was inevitable. Especially since the grievance made clear the league’s disdain for the report cards.

The Week 14 Ravens-Steelers game featured multiple mistakes by the officials. At the time, the NFL admitted one. Today, the league admitted another.

The third was apparently admitted, until it wasn’t.

For starters, the league admitted after the game that an unnecessary roughness penalty called on defensive tackle Travis Jones was not a foul. On Tuesday, the NFL confirmed to PFT that the decision to use replay review to reverse a Ravens interception by linebacker Teddye Buchanan into a catch by Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an error.

Along the way, the league did — then didn’t — say that the controversial touchdown catch by Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely was incorrectly overturned to an incompletion. The NFL’s official position continues to be that the decision was accurate. (We still believe it was a catch, with the replay process focusing on whether Likely took a third step and ignoring the other ways to complete the process.)

Multiple Ravens players have noticed today’s developments. Said quarterback Lamar Jackson on Twitter, “So technically we won? 10-7. 1st offseason win ever.”

Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy had more to add.

“Have we ever seen the NFL come out months after a game has been played (a couple weeks after the entire nfl season finished) and admitted they didn’t get 1 huge crucial call in the biggest NFL rivalry game,” Van Noy tweeted. “But they got 2 Crucial calls in same Game wrong!!! So the total was 3 horrible calls in 1 game…. That’s insane! 1. INT Rodgers , 2. Likely touchdown , and 3. Travis Jones 15 yarder on field goal (they came out with this Tuesday after the game saying they got it wrong). Wow !!!! Accountability kinda sorta not really but something kinda… We need some sort of action now because this can not happen at the highest level. I understand 1 but 3????? Smh.”

SMH indeed. The mistakes directly impacted the outcome of a key AFC North game, and may have directly impacted the division championship, with the Steelers and not the Ravens advancing to the postseason.

One of the strangest plays of the 2025 NFL season was called correctly on the field, only to be overturned by replay review.

In the Week 14 Ravens-Steelers game, Aaron Rodgers threw a pass that was batted back to him, and Rodgers grabbed the ball, as did Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan. They wrestled for it as Rodgers went to the ground, Buchanan ended up with it, and the officials on the field ruled it an interception. Then a replay review ruled that Rodgers had possession of the ball with a knee down, and Rodgers caught the pass.

That replay review was incorrect. A league spokesman confirmed to PFT that when NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent said there were replay reviews the league wishes it could have back, that ruling of a Rodgers catch was one of them. It should have been an interception.

That play was a big moment in the fourth quarter of a big win for the Steelers, as it allowed the Steelers to run another minute off the clock and resulted in a 50-yard field position swing between where the Ravens would have had the ball if the interception had stood, and where the Ravens got the ball after the Steelers punted. Considering that the Ravens ended up narrowly losing, and ultimately losing the AFC North because of that loss, it’s a huge disappointment to Ravens fans that the replay review process overturned the correct call on the field.

Now that the league office has had time to carefully scrutinize the play, PFT is told that the Rodgers play should have been ruled the same way as the Bills’ interception in overtime of their playoff loss to the Broncos. On that play, Bills receiver Brandin Cooks did have the ball as he went to the ground, but he did not complete the process of the catch by maintaining possession on the ground. Denver’s Ja’Quan McMillian snatched the ball away from Cooks and secured the interception, just as Buchanan snatched the ball away from Rodgers and secured the interception.

On McMillian’s interception, the ruling on the field stood. It should have stood on Buchanan’s interception as well.

While there’s no guarantee quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play in the 2026 season, the Steelers would like to have him back.

General Manager Omar Khan said at the scouting combine on Tuesday that Pittsburgh is keeping the proverbial light on for Rodgers.

“The door’s open to have Aaron back,” Khan said Tuesday. “I’ve had conversations with him — I spoke to him last week. [Head coach] Mike McCarthy’s spoken to him. He knows how we feel about him. Right now, we’re proceeding [as if] he’s a free agent and he’s not on the roster. But, he knows how we feel about him.”

Rodgers, who turned 42 in December, is thought to be contemplating retirement. But Khan noted he doesn’t have much of a sense as to whether Rodgers’ decision will come down to just retiring or playing for the Steelers in 2026. With Rodgers as a free agent, he could also end up elsewhere.

“You know, that’s a question for Aaron,” Khan said. “He knows how we feel and we know how he feels. It was a good experience for both sides. Unfortunate we didn’t reach our goals on winning the games we wanted to win at the end. But there’s a mutual respect there.”

Khan, however, also said he doesn’t anticipate the situation with Rodgers and the Steelers to drag on as it did in 2025. While there was clear interest in the two sides throughout last offseason, Rodgers didn’t officially sign with the club until June 6.

“I think the circumstances are a little different,” Khan said. “But just conversations we had, I think neither side wants to have this drag on like it did last year.”

Rodgers started 16 games for Pittsburgh last year, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He then completed 17-of-33 passes for 146 yards with an interception in the club’s playoff loss to the Texans.

One of the biggest calls of this NFL season came in the Week 14 Ravens-Steelers game, when Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely scored what appeared to be a go-ahead touchdown with 2:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, only to have the on-field officials’ ruling overturned by replay. Now NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent is suggesting the on-field officials were right, and the replay reversal was wrong.

Vincent told Mark Maske that the Likely play was among a handful of replay rulings that the league office has had second thoughts about.

“There was two plays in particular,” Vincent said. “There was the Likely play . . . Ravens-Steelers in the end zone. And then you had the one—there was a Jets play. But it was the Likely play that you go, that was interesting because of the third step and they were talking about the ball extended out. So it was: What constitutes that third act?”

It doesn’t engender a lot of confidence in the league’s officiating when league executives are still not clear on what constitutes a third act necessary to completing a catch. And Vincent’s statement doesn’t conclusively say that the replay overturn was wrong. But it sounds like the league now thinks the ruling on the field of a Ravens touchdown should have stood.

If the touchdown had counted, the Ravens probably would have won that game. Change the result of that game, and the Ravens win the AFC North, as they would have finished tied with the Steelers in the standings and would have won the tiebreaker based on a better division record. If the Ravens had won the AFC North, John Harbaugh might still be their coach. Someone else would be coaching the Giants. A whole lot would be different.

Vincent acknowledged that there were some replay reviews he is second-guessing, and he said most of those came in the early Sunday afternoon window when there are several games going on at once and the league’s replay office is slammed.

“When you watch, there was about five plays,” Vincent said. “Of the 171 plays that we called on replay or replay assist that came back to the booth, there were five that we said if we had to do it again, on just the replay assist, in general. Of that 171 that occurred during [the] regular season, there were five after we kind of took a step back and breathed-four of them [were] in the 1 o’clock window. Just volume and you go, ‘Ah, if we had to do that one again, just looking at it.’ ”

The idea that NFL officiating is going to be worse in the 1 o’clock window because the league officiating office has too many games to follow at once should not be acceptable to anyone. The league needs to make sure its officiating office is fully staffed at all times, with competent officials who can make the right call. Every time.

UPDATE 8:39 a.m. ET: An NFL spokesman clarified with PFT that while the Likely play was discussed in detail, it was not one of the handful that Vincent was referring to that the league would like to have back.

UPDATE: 11:34 a.m. ET: The NFL has confirmed that Vincent did acknowledge another play in that Steelers-Ravens game, an interception thrown by Aaron Rodgers, was ruled correctly on the field and should not have been overturned on replay.