The Pittsburgh Steelers’ team MVP is scheduled to become a free agent in just under three weeks with the start of the new league year. How much the league values Kenneth Gainwell will determine whether the Steelers can afford to keep him, and the latest contract at his position offers some insight.

Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams just received a new three-year, $24 million contract, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal also comes with $16 million in guarantees, though the numbers are often overblown in the initial reports.

If the reported numbers hold up, that will be tied with D’Andre Swift for the 16th most APY in the RB market. That’s a modest deal for a player that just ran for 1,201 yards and 11 TDs with another 137 yards and two TDs through the air.

This suggests Gainwell could end up being pretty affordable for the Steelers to retain. Let’s look at how their numbers stack up.

Javonte Williams: 1,338 yards from scrimmage, 13 total TDs, 4.7 yards per touch
Kenneth Gainwell: 1,023 yards from scrimmage, eight total TDs, 5.5 yards per touch

Williams has the edge in total yards and touchdowns while Gainwell was more efficient with his touches. It’s hard to compare the two exactly as Gainwell is much more of a change of pace and receiving back while Williams is a bell cow that grinds out yards between the tackles.

Given Williams’ $8 million average per year, Gainwell’s could come in around 65-70 percent of that value. That would mean an APY of just $5-$6 million for the Steelers’ team MVP. In other words, roughly the same that Warren received on his extension last offseason.

The Steelers could have both Warren and Gainwell together for a couple more seasons for the cost of what the Green Bay Packers are paying Josh Jacobs, for comparison. Whether the Steelers value him at that level depends on what they think of Kaleb Johnson and the progress of the offensive line. They just spent a third-round pick on Johnson last year, and committing to a Warren-Gainwell backfield would leave him as an afterthought for the foreseeable future.

They will also need to factor in how much Aaron Rodgers boosted Gainwell’s value with his league-low time to throw and tendency to check down at or behind the line of scrimmage. Gainwell was great in the Arthur Smith-Aaron Rodgers offense. But will it be the same with Mike McCarthy and whoever the 2026 QB is? If it’s Rodgers, I imagine they will prioritize bringing Gainwell back.

With his likely price tag well within budget, keeping Kenneth Gainwell comes down less to affordability and more to whether the Steelers see his production as indispensable.