Does the Steelers’ new coaching staff consider Kenneth Gainwell a priority free agent?

Kenneth Gainwell was the Steelers’ team MVP last season, but how much does the new regime value his services, pricewise? After signing a one-year deal for under $2 million, what is his market value going into his sixth season? And how does Mike McCarthy and his staff value him relative to Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith before him?

Kenneth Gainwell spent most of his career playing a distant second fiddle to bigger-named running backs, most notably Saquon Barkley. While he remained in a somewhat secondary role in Pittsburgh, he had more responsibilities. Jaylen Warren took the bulk of the carries, but Gainwell got his share, and a lot of work in the passing game.

In the end, it produced a career year for Gainwell in the largest role of his five seasons in the NFL. He cracked 500 snaps for the first time and set new career highs pretty much across the board. Among them were 187 total touches and his first season of 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He also had a career-high 8 touchdowns, more than he’s had in the previous three years combined.

But does Mike McCarthy see Kenneth Gainwell replicating that sort of production within his scheme? What is his vision for the backfield, and is he a part of that? The Steelers still have Jaylen Warren, of course, and they haven’t even tapped into 2025 rookie Kaleb Johnson yet. They drafted him in the third round, but he never carved out a role for himself.

Presumably, Gainwell will earn more than $2 million APY on the open market this year. And at this stage of his career, he may well be primarily interested in pocketing some money. He’ll be 27 soon, and he hasn’t made much so far, relatively speaking. For his career, he has earned a little over $5.6 million in five years.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could earn a contract averaging that per season. But are the Steelers, under Mike McCarthy, among the teams that would evaluate him at that level? And how eager would he be to return with the coaching staff gone—especially if Aaron Rodgers also leaves?

The Steelers are out of the playoffs, exiting in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017. With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin’s resignation.

The playoffs are still going, but for us and the Steelers, we are transitioning to offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you cover loses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.