PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s been an offseason where the Steelers have been more like the Dallas Cowboys or New York Yankees. As NFL Network’s Judy Battista put it, we’re not used to the Steelers being the blockbuster team.
Here is a look at an historic offseason as the Steelers head into training camp on Wednesday.
January
· 14th--Steelers sign Skylar Thompson as the only quarterback under contract for 2025
March
· 10th--tendered an offer to restricted free agent Jaylen Warren and signed him to a one-year contract on April 22
· 13th--FREE AGENCY begins as the team adds veteran corner Darius Slay to a one-year contract from Philadelphia along with Philly RB Kenneth Gainwell, Jets CB Brandon Echols and Ravens LB Malik Harrison
· 13th—FIRST BIG TRADE—Steelers trade a 2nd and 7th round pick to Seattle for receiver DK Metcalf and sign him to a four-year, $132 million extension
· 13th—26-year-old QB Justin Fields, who went 4-2 as the Steelers starter signs for 2 years, $40 million with the Jets
· 13th—Steelers TB Najee Harris signs with the Chargers after four, 1,000-yard seasons
· 13th—four-year starting left tackle Dan Moore signs with Tennessee, 4-years, $82 million
· 14th—second QB added with Mason Rudolph returning for 2 years, $7.5 million with talk of him returning as the starting quarterback amid Aaron Rodgers speculation
· 27th—the other starting quarterback in 2024, Russell Wilson signs with the Giants for 1-year, up to $21 million
· 31st—video surfaces of Metcalf running routes with Rodgers in California
April
· 9th--TJ Watt posts a photo of himself on Instagram flashing a peace sign, leading to speculation about his future
· 24th—Steelers draft DT Derrick Harmon in 1st round of NFL Draft
· 25th—Steelers draft RB Kaleb Johnson in 3rd round of NFL Draft
· 26th—Steelers draft OLB Jack Sawyer, DE Yahya Black, QB Will Howard, LB Carson Bruener, CB Donte Kent. Howard addition leads to speculation he becomes future starting quarterback
May
· 8th—WR George Pickens traded with a 6th round pick to Dallas for a 3rd and 5th round pick
· 27th—Steelers begin Organized Team Activities with Rudolph working as starting QB and 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu healthy & playing right tackle
June
· 5th--Following months of hypothesizing, Aaron Rodgers signs a one-year deal with the Steelers and would say it’s likely his final season in the NFL
· 10th—Rodgers goes through first workouts on Steelers South Side facility
· 10th—TJ Watt is a no-show for mandatory practices amid contract talks
· 24th—safety DeShon Elliott signs a 2-year, $12.5 million contract extension
· 30th—safety Minkah Fitzpatrick & 5th round pick traded to Miami for corner Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith and a 7th round pick
July
· 3rd—GM Omar Khan gets a contract extension through 2028
· 17th—TJ Watt agrees to 3-year, $123 million contract making him the highest-paid non-quarterback per season in NFL history
What more is there to come. Gone are the conservative Steelers. Will these moves provide the changes needed to make the Steelers contenders again?