Steelers Conduct Master Class Offseason With Perhaps Only One Small Flub

If you need a shining example of how an NFL team conducts its offseason like a maestro in front of a symphony orchestra, I present to you the Pittsburgh Steelers.

General manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin had a solid but not outstanding team when last season ended in a Jan. 15 playoff loss. 

Everyone understood if the Steelers were going to be better in 2024, they had to find more production on offense, and add playmakers and some depth on defense.

And the upgrades all had to happen on a relatively modest budget.

Mission accomplished.

Bravo, gentlemen.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 28: General Manager Omar Khan of the Pittsburgh Steelers speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Steelers Have Great Chance In AFC North

The Steelers are in the NFL's toughest division and it says here they've got as much chance to win the AFC North as anyone. Why?

Because Khan and Tomlin generally have made thoughtful decisions and found solutions to problems in ways that have left other NFL people nodding their heads in appreciation.

"I like their offseason, I can't lie," one rival AFC general manager said. "A lot of people will focus on adding Russ and it makes them feel some kind of way. But look at the whole picture and it all makes sense."

Take Thursday, for example: It was the deadline for teams exercising a fifth-year option on their 2021 first round draft picks and the Steelers declined to do so for running back Najee Harris. 

That means Harris may hit free agency after the coming season. And that looks like a mistake because Harris has been a 1,000-yard rusher each of his first three seasons, making him the first player in team history to accomplish the feat.

So what are the Steelers thinking?

Najee Harris (22) of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after a play in over time in the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 09, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Wait And See Better With Najee Harris

Well, they've obviously decided that a guaranteed $6.8 million for Harris in 2025 might not be a great deal, particularly with them splitting running back duties more since the emergence of Jaylen Warren.

Warren might be the more explosive player, as his 5.2 yards per carry versus 4.1 by Harris suggests.

So the Steelers wisely leave themselves an option of simply moving on from Harris next year, drafting a running back who will be much cheaper, and promoting Warren to the starting role. Or …

Re-signing Harris if he plays great.

It's the right call. And that's what the Steelers do. 

A lot.

Russell Wilson at Michael Rubin's Fanatics Super Bowl Party held at Marquee Dayclub Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

Steelers Can Compete At QB

Consider that Pittsburgh's AFC North rivals all start the 2024 season with great quarterback situations. The Bengals get Joe Burrow back. The Ravens, winners of 13 games last regular-season, still have Lamar Jackson, and the Browns are hopeful Deshaun Watson finally lives up to his Houston heyday, as he was doing last season before getting injured.

So, facing that stormy horizon, were the Steelers going to answer with Mitch Trubisky? With Kenny Pickett?

Trubisky was released. And Pickett was traded when he preferred a change of scenery instead of engaging Wilson in a quarterback competition.

The Steelers added Wilson, a two-time Super Bowl quarterback,this offseason. That and the addition of linebacker Patrick Queen, snatched off the rival Ravens, are the club's signature moves this offseason.

When Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are home underdogs (like they are in Week 8 against Jacksonville), they're a smart choice for an NFL betting pick. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Russell Wilson Fits Pittsburgh

Tomlin was convinced almost immediately upon talking with Wilson he was a fit.

And here's the genius: The Wilson move is costing the Steelers $1.2 million in cap space. It's costing the Denver Broncos, who released Wilson, $53 million in cap space. Yes, the Broncos are paying Wilson to play for the Steelers.

Ask Broncos coach Sean Payton about this, and he defends his decision to move on from Wilson.

Ask the Steelers and they're quite content, thanks.

Maybe Wilson plays to his level of the past couple of years, which means he's not an MVP candidate as he was from 2017-20. But that's still much better than Pickett.

And, yes, maybe Wilson bombs.

But if he bombs, the Steelers can turn to backup Justin Fields, who has 38 NFL starts to his credit. And if Fields isn't the right guy, either, the Steelers will simply find new quarterbacks next year because neither Wilson nor Fields are signed for 2025.

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 07: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears reacts on the sideline in the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 07, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Minor Nitpick About Justin Fields

A critic might say that shows poor vision. But how's this for vision:

The Steelers have approximately $73.7 million in cap space for the 2025 offseason, which puts them in the NFL's top 5. The club also has five picks in the first four rounds of next year's draft.

That's not a coincidence, folks. 

The Steelers seem generally prepared to address the quarterback position next year, regardless of whether their guys this year succeed or fail. 

One small nitpick amid what is otherwise an optimistic view of the Steelers: They also wisely declined the fifth-year option on Fields because it would have cost in excess of $25 million.

But it would be wise to pitch Fields on adding one year to his contract anyway. The Steelers can offer him maybe $7 million guaranteed and some certainty for 2025 in exchange for the luxury of, at minimum, having a veteran backup already in place.

Why would Fields do this? Start with $7 million guaranteed. And it allows him to avoid becoming an NFL nomad, possibly playing for three franchises in three straight seasons.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Arthur Smith of the Atlanta Falcons looks on prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 31, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Arthur Smith An OC Upgrade

The Pittsburgh quarterback moves also look better in the full light of what the team is doing around them. That is a better approach than some teams (the Patriots) picking a young quarterback and mostly relying on the talent already on a roster that was subpar last season.

The Steelers hired Arthur Smith to be their new offensive coordinator and that has the feel of an excellent move. Smith was not an accomplished head coach for the Falcons. His 21-30 record is proof of that.

But Smith is a talented and top coordinator. He did great work for the Titans in that role prior to joining the Falcons, and he is a step up from the uncertainty Pittsburgh had at offensive coordinator the last couple of seasons.

Smith is going to run the football. That fits Wilson at age 35. That fits Fields at age 25.

And to make that possible, Khan is giving him a revamped offensive line, courtesy of the draft's first two picks that delivered two presumed instant starters in left tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier, as well as promising guard Mason McCormick, who should start after some seasoning.

The Steelers also added Michigan receiver Roman Wilson in the third round and he seemingly complements George Pickens. 

"Just on his merits alone, forget how he complements anyone, he's a good player," Tomlin said. "He's competitive. He creates separation at break points. He's battle tested on the interior portions of the field. He comes from a winning program. 

"He checks a lot of those boxes."

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 29: Payton Wilson #LB30 of North Carolina State runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 29, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

Payton Wilson Brings Intrigue

Perhaps the most interesting pick the Steelers made was linebacker Payton Wilson late in the third round. 

Wilson won the Butkus Award at North Carolina State last season and then ran a 4.43 at the scouting combine while measuring 6-foot-4 and weighing 233 pounds.

So why did he not get picked until the third round? He suffered shoulder injuries and two ACL injuries. NFL Media reported Wilson has no ACL in one of his knees, which is more common than most people know.

But Wilson played the last two years without incident despite that history. One assumes the Steelers feel comfortable about the medical reports. And now putting him on the field with Queen seems like a defensive coordinator's dream.

"…Just on paper, certainly, we've helped ourselves," Tomlin said. "Whether it's Wilson or whether it's some of the things that we did in free agency with Queen. We're really excited about the collection of talent we've been able to assemble."

Bravo.