No one expected Kenneth Gainwell to make the impact he did with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025.

That has created a fascinating free agency situation for the Steelers, which may have to pay Gainwell a solid raise to get him back in 2026.

They’ve already made it clear they want him to return. GM Omar Khan spoke on the matter at a press conference on Tuesday, saying, “He knows we want him back.”

The question will become whether the Steelers are willing to pay enough to get Gainwell back.

Earlier this offseason, ESPN analyzed Gainwell’s free agency and thought it might be tough to get him to return for another season.

“He’s due for a significantly higher salary in 2026 after earning team MVP honors,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor wrote. “He led the Steelers with 73 receptions and scored eight touchdowns as he split running back duties with Jaylen Warren. Gainwell was an all-purpose threat in Arthur Smith’s scheme, but these Steelers could look a lot different with Mike McCarthy calling plays. The Steelers haven’t typically given big contracts to running backs, and it seems more likely that the former Eagle will get paid elsewhere.”

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The Steelers will have Jaylen Warren for the season ahead regardless. They’ve also got Kaleb Johnson, who they drafted out of Iowa but then hardly played as a rookie.

Gainwell seems to still be a good fit, if the dollars make sense. It’s just hard to know that they will, and Pittsburgh has plenty of other needs to figure out, too.

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