![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-1860819420-e1773163240333.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Michael Pittman Jr.<\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> didn\u2019t waste much time making moves once NFL free agency opened. In total, Pittsburgh added six new players to the roster while also pulling off a trade.<\/p>\n That trade involved Indianapolis Colts<\/a> wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who the Steelers then signed to a three-year, $59 million extension.<\/p>\n Pittman, along with former Carolina Panthers<\/a> running back Rico Dowdle<\/a>, were the only two offensive additions made by Pittsburgh during the early wave of free agency \u2014 though both carry significant impact.<\/p>\n The Steelers are coming off a season where their offense sputtered, particularly at wide receiver where DK Metcalf<\/a> served as the clear focal point. Pittman now steps in as a complement to Metcalf, though not everyone believes the move makes complete sense.<\/p>\n CBS Sports\u2019 Douglas Clawson wasn\u2019t particularly high<\/a> on Pittsburgh\u2019s decision to trade for the former Colts wideout.<\/p>\n Steelers\u2019 Trade For Pittman Called \u2018Head-Scratching\u2019<\/p>\n Clawson labeled the Steelers\u2019 move for Pittman as one of his early questionable fits after the first day of free agency. In his view, the move raised questions about Pittsburgh\u2019s approach to rebuilding its receiving corps.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Steelers acquired Michael Pittman Jr. in a late-round pick swap and promptly gave him an extension worth $59 million over three years. Pittsburgh desperately needed a WR2 behind D.K. Metcalf (he accounted for nearly half of the Steelers WR receiving yards last year) but it\u2019s head scratching to see them trade for another big wideout after shipping off George Pickens<\/a> last offseason,\u201d Clawson wrote.<\/p>\n Instead, Clawson suggested the Steelers should have pursued a different type of receiver.<\/p>\n \u201cSteelers wide receivers ranked second-worst in yards from the slot last year, so I would have much rather seen them find a threat like Rashid Shaheed<\/a>. He signed a slightly cheaper deal than Pittman (three years, $51 million) to stay in Seattle,\u201d Clawson added.<\/p>\n From a statistical standpoint, Pittman still brings proven production. Last season he recorded 80 receptions for 784 yards and seven touchdowns. Shaheed, meanwhile, posted 59 receptions for 687 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting that the George Pickens trade happened during Mike Tomlin\u2019s final season as head coach. With Mike McCarthy now leading the Steelers, the front office\u2019s approach to the roster could look very different.<\/p>\n Steelers Insider Believes Trade Was Smart Financial Move<\/p>\n While Clawson questioned the fit, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly viewed the move much differently.<\/p>\n Kaboly pointed out that the trade could benefit Pittsburgh financially<\/a> while still adding a productive receiver.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Steelers will give up one of their sixth-round picks in exchange for Michael Pittman and the Colts\u2019 seventh-rounder, according to league source(s). So, basically, a salary dump by the Colts, and the Steelers benefit tremendously from it,\u201d Kaboly wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n The one detail still unclear is which sixth-round pick the Colts will receive in return.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh currently holds two sixth-round selections in the 2026 NFL<\/a> Draft \u2014 No. 214 and No. 216.<\/p>\n Once that portion of the trade becomes official, the Steelers are projected to hold 11 total picks in the upcoming draft, according to NFL Draft Buzz<\/a>. Pittsburgh currently owns multiple selections in the third, fourth and seventh rounds.<\/p>\n With that amount of draft capital available, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if the Steelers continue making moves \u2014 either through additional free-agent signings or potential trades during the draft.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tShane Shoemaker<\/a> Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Steelers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Pittsburgh Steelers WR Michael Pittman Jr. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn\u2019t waste much time making moves once NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":805009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[7,6,520,57,2360,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-805008","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-nfl","10":"tag-pittsburgh","11":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","12":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","13":"tag-steelers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116206233362440856","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/805009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}