Steelers Now
With the 2025 season coming to a close in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 30-6 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans, the Steelers will turn to the offseason, which promises plenty of upheaval.
That process started on Tuesday afternoon, with the resignation of head coach Mike Tomlin, and it will likely continue with significant roster shakeups as a new head coach puts his stamp on the organization.
While the draft prep will start in earnest later this month during the college all-star circuit, the first big landmark on the calendar for players on the roster is free agency, which happens in early March.
The new league year will star at 4 p.m. on March 11, with the contact period starting at noon on March 9.
The Steelers will had 28 players that were currently slated to hit free agency, though one — wide receiver Adam Thielen — has already announced his decision to retire. Between now and noon on March 9, the Steelers alone can negotiate with those teams on potential contract extensions.
Here are the players whose contracts are set to expire before the Steelers next reconvene as a team:
Unrestricted free agents will be free to agree to term with another team, starting on March 9. These are also the only players that count in the compensatory draft pick formula.
WR/PR Calvin Austin III
S Chuck Clark
G/T Jack Driscoll
SS Kyle Dugger
DT Daniel Ekuale
RB Kenneth Gainwell
TE/FB Connor Heyward
ILB Cole Holcomb
SS/ST Miles Killebrew
DT Isaiahh Loudermilk
DT Dean Lowry
WR Scotty Miller
TE Donald Parham
G/T Andrus Peat
SS Jabrill Peppers
CB James Pierre
QB Aaron Rodgers
CB Asante Samuel Jr.
C/G Max Scharping
LG Isaac Seumalo
WR Adam Thielen
QB Skylar Thompson
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Restricted free agents must be tendered a contract offer by the Steelers by June 1, or they will become unrestricted free agents. The Steelers can choose to place a first-round tender ($7.9 million), second-round tender ($5.7 million) or right of first refusal ($3.5 million). All tender offers are one-year deals.
Players under RFA tenders can choose to sign the tender and play under that contract, negotiate a different contract, or negotiate with another club, which triggers both right of first refusal and potential draft pick compensation if they’re signed away.
DL Esezi Otomewo
C Ryan McCollum
OLB Jeremiah Moon
P Corliss Waitman
The Steelers must simply offer any NFL contract at or above the minimum in order to retains the rights to an exclusive-rights free agent, again by June 1.
DL Jacob Slade
These are players who either had their practice squad contract expire, or who were released by the Steelers after the end of the season. They do not need to wait until March, and can sign reserve/future contracts with any team at any time.
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