The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed safety Makari Paige to their offseason roster, the team announced Wednesday. It’s a one-year contract.

He’ll help take Cory Trice Jr.’s place, released yesterday by the team with a failed physical designation. 

Paige went undrafted in 2025. A four-year player at Michigan, he tallied 135 career tackles (two for a loss) with eight pass breakups and three interceptions. In 2024, he registered 45 tackles (one for a loss) with two interceptions while serving as team captain. He helped win the Wolverines the national championship in 2023. General manager Omar Khan recently confirmed that he likes acquiring players with a championship background as the Steelers chase a seventh Lombardi Trophy.

One of Paige’s best performances came in 2024 against Ohio State when he picked off QB Will Howard and briefly injured him in a Wolverines win.

At his 2025 Pro Day, Paige checked in at 6030, 197 pounds. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash with a 32 1/2-inch vertical, 10’0″ broad, and 4.44 short shuttle. He turned 24 in January, and was a four-star recruit from West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Paige signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 draft. He lasted through the summer but was waived at final cutdowns. He had tryouts throughout the rest of the year, including a November look from the Chicago Bears.

In his final season at Michigan, Paige split time between slot corner (252 snaps), free safety (222 snaps), and playing in the box (127 snaps). In the preseason, he held a similar versatile role (55 free safety, 41 box, 23 slot corner) with the Giants in addition to logging time on special teams, 32 on football’s third phase.

Paige will try to stick on the roster throughout the rest of the offseason and at least make the practice squad ahead of the regular season. He’ll need to impress this summer and likely stand out on special teams.

He is the second Michigan player the team has signed this week after adding rookie center Greg Crippen, who tried out for the Steelers and turned heads during rookie minicamp. Including Crippen and Paige, there are now three former Wolverines on the roster. Wide receiver Roman Wilson, teammates with both in college, is the other one.