The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't just wait around to see what Aaron Rodgers would do as far as retiring or returning to be their starting QB again.
They were busy when NFL free agency opened up, and in the trade market, too.
All told, it earned them the No. 1 spot in ESPN's rankings of free agent accomplishments in the entire NFL.
ESPN's Ben Solak pointed to six moves:
Trading for Michael Pittman Jr.
Signing Rico Dowdle, Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker, Sebastian Joseph-Day
Re-signing Asante Samuel Jr.
All told, it was a lot to like.
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It starts with Pittman, a great pairing for DK Metcalf and another thing potentially enticing Rodgers to return.
"The Colts were always going to trade him after they re-signed Alec Pierce, so they didn't have a ton of leverage," Solak writes. "And because Pittman is a true possession receiver, he needed to go to a team with a ton of targets to give out. There aren't many such teams. But Pittsburgh is a great fit for him, as he pairs well with DK Metcalf (who is definitely a Steeler in 2026) and Aaron Rodgers (who is probably a Steeler in 2026). The Steelers signed Pittman to an extension after the trade that guarantees him some money, which was an unnecessarily early commitment to his future on the roster, but a sixth-seventh pick swap for a starting receiver is great business."
Solak then had a section to his piece where he asks the question of what he didn't love about a given offseason.
His answer for the Steelers? "Nothing."
"It was a ton of doubles for Omar Khan and the Steelers' brass," writes Solak, referencing two-base hits in baseball in the article released on Opening Day. "Dowdle has consistently proved he can moonlight as an RB1 if needed, and he has receiving chops in a committee. Dean is coming off a career year, but the Steelers didn't pay him like he's a CB1, so they might get a nice bargain there. Joseph-Day is a perennially valuable rotational defensive tackle, and Samuel looked healthy in the limited time he played last season. Brisker is a low-risk gamble on another health question mark in a secondary that needs depth to maximize Jalen Ramsey's versatility. Great work this year."
The Rodgers outcome will still have a lot of bearing on Pittsburgh's season. But otherwise, the Steelers did everything right.
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