Steelers Now
Not everyone believes the Pittsburgh Steelers offseason trade was a good move.
The Pittsburgh Steelers finally acquired a No. 2 wide receiver this offseason, trading the Indianapolis Colts for veteran Michael Pittman Jr., but not everyone thinks the deal was a good one.
In fact, NFL analyst Seth Walder of ESPN believes trading for Pittman was the Steelers’ biggest mistake this offseason.
“The Steelers did add to [Aaron] Rodgers’ receiving group, trading for Pittman and drafting Germie Bernard in the second round. The Pittman trade was a mistake, though,” Walder wrote. “He has $24 million due in 2026, which is more than I think he would receive on the open market. Why pay Pittman $24 million when Wan’Dale Robinson made $17.5 million per year as a free agent? In essence, the Steelers traded a late-round pick swap for a negative value contract.”
Pittman’s best football could certainly be behind him. The soon-to-be 29-year-old is coming off a bit of a disappointing season, during which he recorded 80 catches for 784 yards and seven touchdowns.
However, that wasn’t the only reason the Steelers decided to trade for Pittman. He is also bringing a ton of leadership and experience to Pittsburgh as a six-year vet.
Pittman believes his new team is planning to take full advantage of his versatility on offense as well.
“I’ve played every single spot so far,” Pittman said. “Just being able to move around, because you never know what happens during the course of the NFL season. So, just being available at any position, so I’m just gonna keep on dialing that in. Same thing with DK [Metcalf] and Germ [Bernard] and Rome [Wilson] and those guys. We’ve all been moving around and have seen all of it.”
Pittman has already had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in his NFL career, but if what he says is true, he could be in store for his third in 2026 and prove his doubters wrong.
A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Colts, Pittman has recorded 485 catches for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns in his professional career.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers’ Trade Tabbed as Biggest Offseason Mistake
