Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Calvin Austin III
Position: Wide Receiver
Experience: 4 Years
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2025 Salary Cap Hit: $1,226,084
2025 Season Breakdown:
Calvin Austin III didn’t have the big year in 2025 he surely hoped for, but he had some big moments for the Steelers. He delivered multiple game-winning touchdowns, Aaron Rodgers showing trust in his knowledge and his abilities. That didn’t help him keep his spot in the pecking order late in the season, though.
A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Calvin Austin spent his rookie season injured. He debuted in 2023, playing with Kenny Pickett as his primary quarterback. That season, he caught just 17 passes for 180 yards and 1 touchdown.
The 2024 season seemed to have breakout potential for him, Austin benefitting from Russell Wilson’s playing style. While there’s a reason Wilson is now a backup, he’s always had the deep ball in his arsenal. Largely thanks to that, Austin caught 36 passes for 548 yards and 4 touchdowns that season.
While Aaron Rodgers lacked the same deep ball finesse, or at least success, he still found Calvin Austin. On a per-game basis, Austin saw more targets in 2025, 55 in all. He only caught 31 passes, however, largely due to missed deep attempts. He gained 372 yards with three touchdowns. His touchdowns against the Patriots in Week 3 and Ravens in Week 18 were game winners.
Free Agency Outlook:
But has Calvin Austin shown enough in four years—really, three—to stick around? Realistically, he probably isn’t going to have a big market in free agency. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers told him to go find out what his price is and come back.
Pittsburgh knows that the wide receiver position needs some serious tender love and care. Right now, DK Metcalf is the only credible option, and one can easily argue he performed below expectations in his first season with the team. Roman Wilson is under contract, but like Austin, he saw a much smaller role as the year went on. In fact, he was benched.
The Steelers havea long list of free agents this year, but not absolutely can’t-lose names, at least debatably. Aaron Rodgers is the presumptive exception, the team already going on record expressing the desire that he return. While the list includes significant players like Kenneth Gainwell and Isaac Seumalo, they are not overwhelmingly pressing priorities. The quarterback question supersedes all, and I don’t foresee another Mason Rudolph spring. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot.
And with the Steelers introducing almost an entirely new coaching regime, the free agency direction is unclear. No doubt we will witness how things evolve in the time between February and March. It’s possible they make some significant moves, a surprising cut, work on a bold trade. After all, this is a new scheme into which they are now building.
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