Steelers Now
Each of the four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs have a former Pittsburgh Steelers player on their roster. Which means for another season an ex-Steeler is guaranteed to be a Super Bowl champion.
The most notable player is former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, who serves as the Philadelphia Eagles backup QB to Jalen Hurts.
Pickett was traded along with pick No. 120 in the 2024 NFL Draft for Pick No. 98 and two 2025 seventh-round picks this past offseason. The Steelers used pick No. 98 on NC State linebacker Payton Wilson. Pickett requested a trade after the signing of Russell Wilson, and the Steelers obliged.
Reserve Eagles offensive lineman Fred Johnson was on the Steelers roster for a brief time in 2019. Starting punter Braden Mann and offensive tackle Le’Raven Clark (who’s on Injured reserve) spent time with the Steelers in 2023 offseason.
The Buffalo Bills also have a former Steelers quarterback as their backup in Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky was released by Pittsburgh a day after the Super Bowl last year so he would get an early start in the free agency process. That paid dividends as Trubisky agreed to terms with the Buffalo Bills early in free agency, re-joining the team that he played for prior to signing with the Steelers in March of 2022.
The Washington Commanders have three former Steelers on their roster — running back Jeremy McNichols, offensive lineman Trent Scott and linebacker Mykal Walker.
McNichols, who spent training camp with the Steelers in 2022, has five touchdowns for the Commanders this year, including a crucial touchdown in last Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs have several former Steelers on their roster, most notably JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster is the only former Steeler on the active roster, as cornerback Steven Nelson, cornerback Darius Rush and quarterback Chris Oladokun are on the practice squad.
