The 2025 season concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers being unceremoniously bludgeoned once again in the first round of the NFL playoffs — a familiar theme over the past decade.
Enter Mike McCarthy , Greenfield's finest and new head coach of his hometown squad, who certainly has his work cut out for him. Fortunately, they enter the offseason flushed with a dozen projected picks in the 2026 NFL Draft , along with nearly $40M in effective cap space (according to Over the Cap ) to fill their most pressing needs . In terms of what to do with those additional resources, the possibilities are endless.
With that being said, there are a few notable things that the organization should avoid doing at all costs this spring. That includes avoiding making the same mistakes that have gotten them stuck in this middle-ground purgatory in the first place. It takes time to build a championship-caliber club, and it would be wise to avoid any shortcuts in the process.
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt in a game against the Houston Texans on Jan. 12, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
By fully restructuring T.J. Watt 's contract, the Steelers could free up a whopping $20.4M in cap space to play with, which sounds enticing at first, but that bill comes due eventually. After back-to-back down seasons by his standards, a return to dominance seems unlikely at this stage of the proceedings. That doesn't mean that Watt can't still be a useful piece of the puzzle in Patrick Graham's defense . However, as a general rule of thumb, teams should avoid borrowing money from older, declining players' contracts unless it's an absolute necessity.
The next question is whether Pittsburgh could look to trade him given the emergence of Nick Herbig , a soon-to-be 25-year-old entering the last year of his rookie deal. Finding another team willing to take on his $32 million fully guaranteed salary for each of the next two seasons would be difficult.
Even if they found a buyer, they'd be selling low on one of the best players in franchise history. The best-case scenario is that Watt rebounds in a new system and rebuilds his value so that all options are on the table next offseason—whether that's a grand finale in the steel city or ring chasing elsewhere.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay during a game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 23, 2025 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers' free agent philosophy has changed drastically under Omar Khan's leadership, with them frequently targeting older veterans, strangely at stopwatch positions such as cornerback. After signing Darius Slay (34) and trading for Jalen Ramsey (31), they featured one of the slowest secondaries in the league last season.
Jonnu Smith (30) also came over in that deal with Miami and received an extension prior to being one of the most inefficient pass catchers in the league last year. There's nothing wrong with acquiring the occasional veteran on a cheap contract, but Pittsburgh needs to get back to their old strategy of targeting guys on their second contracts, not third.
Overall, the free agent class isn't all that inspiring. There are a handful of playmakers scheduled to hit the open market that are talented enough to make an immediate impact and young enough to make a difference for years to come. Even expanding beyond free agency, it's impossible to predict the players on other teams' rosters that could be available for the right price. After all, this is a team with a dozen picks and no quarterback worthy of trading up for in April. With all of these resources at their disposal, they should absolutely be aggressive. But they can't be reckless.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a game against the Houston Texans on Jan. 12, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Aaron Rodgers experiment actually wasn't a complete disaster last season, with the four-time MVP delivering a pair of vintage performances versus the Baltimore Ravens down the stretch to help the Steelers sneak into the playoffs. Be that as it may, there's not a quarterback in the league right now that has such defined strengths and weaknesses, which puts a hard cap on the offense. Rodgers' mind is still a weapon at the line of scrimmage, and he avoids negative plays such as interceptions that often doom players at this position. The flip side of that is that he can't really function under pressure anymore and offers nothing in the form of second reaction plays.
The 42-year-old can really only play one specific way, and every offense that he commands eventually morphs into the same organism—one built on quick throws underneath and isolation shots outside the numbers. Including the Wild Card round, Pittsburgh was 1-5 versus playoff teams last season, with Rodgers averaging -0.42 EPA/play in those contests across 193 dropbacks. Obviously, this style of offense has natural limitations against the more well-put-together defenses. Because there isn't a ceiling worth pursuing here, the Steelers would be much better off taking a swing on someone younger that could potentially be a long-term solution for them as they navigate this new era. It's impossible to find that answer if you continue to place a band-aid over a bullet hole.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bell: Three Mistake Steelers Must Avoid This Offseason
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