The NFL free agency period has come and gone, and it brought plenty of excitement for teams across the league trying to shape their lineups for the 2026-27 season.
One of those trade moves came between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, when the Steelers acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Colts for a late-round pick.
So, looking at this deal, did the Steelers or colts win? Here’s what the NFL analysts and experts have to say.
In a Tuesday, March 17 feature for CBS Sports, Jordan Dajani discusses the NFL’s major offseason moves. “This NFL offseason has already been a wild one, as we witnessed an uptick in trades during free agency,” he notes in the piece. “Certain teams were looking to shed salary in order to get under the set cap number, while other teams were looking to buy talent ahead of the free agency firestorm.
As for this deal, he gives the trade grades of a B+ for the Steelers and C for the Colts.
“The Steelers landed a starting wideout to pair opposite of DK Metcalf on the first day of the league’s two-day negotiation period — although they did so via trade,” he notes in the piece. “The Steelers have acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Colts in a late-round pick swap, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.”
What’s more, the Steelers are also signing Pittman to a new three-year, $59 million extension.
“This was more of a financial move for Indy, as the Colts just agreed to terms with Alec Pierce on a four-year, $116 million deal that makes him the highest-paid wide receiver in free agency history,” Dajani notes. “He’s their new WR1.”
In a Wednesday, March 18 feature for ESPN, Seth Walder actually gives the Steelers a C and Colts a B for their trade deal.
“Why did the Colts make this trade?” he asks. “Pittman was slated to make $24 million in 2026, and I imagine they didn’t think he was worth that — especially considering they’re giving Alec Pierce a bump to $29 million per year to bring him back.”
He adds, “I don’t think it would have been unreasonable for them to cut Pittman, so getting just a six-seven flip is perfectly fine.”
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.