Russell Wilson could send the Pittsburgh Steelers a significant parting gift. When Wilson signs his $10.5 million guaranteed contract with the New York Giants, it will net the Steelers a fifth-round pick. However, with incentives that could reach up to $21 million, that would make Wilson’s compensatory pick at third round pick.
Much like Wilson, Justin Fields playing for an entire season could also gives the Steelers a third-round pick. They already have one with Dan Moore Jr. If both players hit their maximum playing time requirements along with the incentives, the Steelers could have as many as three compensatory.
As it stands now, they are slated to have a compensatory pick in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. All of that draft capital sets the stage for the Steelers to make moves up the board for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is expected to be a much better class.
The Steelers will unlikely deal off future pieces for the 2026 NFL Draft capital. With that in mind, general manager Omar Khan is giving himself free ammo to feel comfortable being aggressive in the 2026 NFL Draft.
As it stands now, the 2026 NFL Draft looks like one of the stronger groups the league will have seen in recent years. It might not be quite as strong as the 2024 class when all is said and done, but the Steelers expect to be players in the market.
All of the extra picks Pittsburgh is getting seem targeted at the proposition of this team simply racking up as many picks as they can to position themselves for a move up the board. It’s a shrewd strategy that shows some forward-thinking from the front office.
Signing players such as Darius Slay or Aaron Rodgers continue to point to this, too. Neither of those players will count toward the compensatory pick formula for the Steelers since their previous teams cut them.
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