The Steelers find themselves in uncharted territory here. The one constant has been Mike Tomlin, and under him, they have constantly been a winning team. But he stepped away and will presumably be taking at least a year off, so a new era has begun. The Mike McCarthy era.

Not only is Mike Tomlin out, but so is offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. And, because of how unique his scheme is with a lot of tight-end-heavy personnel, that leaves the Steelers with a lot of maneuvering to do. Of course, it starts with Aaron Rodgers and the quarterback position, but there are moves they need to make at every offensive weapon position on offense.

So that’s what we’ll do today - we’ll look at the contracts, the depth chart, and the salary cap to make some free agent predictions for the Steelers weapons. If there is a fantasy football spin, we’ll hit it. If you’d like to see where we have all of the Steelers ranked, become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

 

QB

Aaron Rodgers

Mason Rudolph

Will Howard

Skylar Thompson

RB

Jaylen Warren

Kenneth Gainwell

Kaleb Johnson

 

WR

DK Metcalf

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Scotty Miller

 

WR

Calvin Austin

Roman Wilson

  

WR

Adam Thielen

Ben Skowronek

  

TE

Jonnu Smith

Darnell Washington

Donald Parham

 

TE

Pat Freiermuth

Connor Heyward

  

Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

KEY

  • White = free agent
  • Green = role is safe
  • Yellow =  role in flux
  • Orange = likely a depth piece
  • Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Pittsburgh Steelers Free Agency 2026

  • CURRENT PROJECTED TOP 51 2026 SALARIES: $276M
  • CURRENT ESTIMATED 2026 TEAM CAP SPACE: $45M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them, but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it, or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

  • 1st Round - $7,893,000
  • 2nd Round - $5,658,000
  • Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000 

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer, as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out.

 

 

 

Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart

Aaron Rodgers

Another offseason speculating what the heck Aaron Rodgers will do. The Steelers Omar Khan, speaking at the NFL Combine, said that the “door is open” for him to return if that’s what he wants to do. So it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’s gone.

The really interesting thing here is the Steelers' hiring of Mike McCarthy, with whom Rodgers has an extensive history in Green Bay. You’d think that kind of hiring would come with a pretty clear plan one way or another. To me, the fact that there wasn’t some immediate announcement that Rodgers won’t be back indicates that hiring his former coach is part of a plan that hopes he is back. But there are still rumors lingering that Rodgers could retire or leave - possibly even for the rival Minnesota Vikings. If I had to bet, though, the order I would rank things is as follows.

  1. Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh
  2. Rodgers retires
  3. Rodgers plays elsewhere

Mason Rudolph

The Steelers continue to claim that they believe in Mason Rudolph. But they did the same thing with Kenny Pickett right up until the end. We once again saw Rudolph last year, and it once again did not look great. So I don’t see him as anything more than a backup. He is under contract for 2026, but he could be released for $3M in savings with only ~$1.6M in dead cap. And Mike Tomlin is gone now.

Will Howard

Will Howard is actually the more appealing option if we are betting long shots here. At least he still has that “mystery box” quality going for him. In the same discussion that we mentioned on Aaron Rodgers, Omar Khan said there was “a lot to like” about Will Howard. That said, when you look at all the sixth-round pick QBs, you basically have Tom Brady and no one.  

Skylar Thompson

We don’t really know for sure who would have been the QB3 for the Steelers between Thompson and Will Howard because Thompson got hurt and missed the whole year. Our money would have been on Howard. Thompson is a free agent in 2026.  

  • Reserves/Futures: N/A

STEELERS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: If Aaron Rodgers isn’t back, the Steelers are going to need a quarterback. If they go into the season with a combo like Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, they are really asking Mike McCarthy to work some magic.

I do think Rodgers will be back, but if not, here are some options that are out there. Russell Wilson is probably off the table here, but the rest of the top free agents would be in play, as well as some possible trade candidates.

Steelers Running Back Depth Chart

Jaylen Warren

The Steelers like Jaylen Warren, so they extended him while letting Najee Harris walk. They signed Kenneth Gainwell to complement him, and many of us expected Gainwell to complement Warren on pass downs. What we did not expect was Kenneth Gainwell to play so well and actually end up playing more than Warren down the stretch in a lot of games. Gainwell is probably leaving for a bigger role elsewhere, but that situation has left us a bit lukewarm on Warren.

Kenneth Gainwell

Kenneth Gainwell was once perceived as just a satellite back, someone to change the pace on pass downs. The Steelers may have viewed him that way when bringing him in, even. But he leaves as a player who deserves more consideration on early downs - and will likely get it wherever he goes. The Steelers have said they want Gainwell back, but I think it’s more than just about money for Gainwell at this stage in his career. He wants money AND a starting job.

Kaleb Johnson

We aren’t going to sugarcoat it - this year was terrible for Kaleb Johnson. He had a hard time finding his way onto the field and, when he did, some mistakes were made, like the mishandled kickoff vs. Seattle that resulted in a touchdown. Omar Khan has suggested that Johnson does the right things in practice, but he also echoed how we all feel by saying that what we “saw on the field was disappointing”.

All that said, this guy is going to be a hold for me in dynasty - or even a buy low. There is an outside chance that he DOES fix whatever issues he has. Omar Khan did say he expects him to turn the corner. And there’s a chance that, when Gainwell leaves, they use Johnson more on early downs with Warren going back to the previous role that he had when Najee Harris was there. If it doesn’t happen this year, though, it likely won’t ever.  

STEELERS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The best thing for the fantasy values of both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell is for Gainwell to leave. If the Steelers do bring him back, that’s worse news for Warren, as Gainwell was beating out Warren for high-leverage work down the stretch. And it’s awful news for Kaleb Johnson.

Assuming Gainwell is one, there are a few ways they can go. Jaylen Warren skews either early downs or pass downs, as we’ve seen. Kaleb Johnson was used on an extremely limited basis in the pass game and graded out poorly in pass blocking, so he skews towards short yardage. If they do bring in another back, I’d think they’d skew towards pass downs to give them that element if something happens to Warren. Here are some names.

 

 

 

Steelers Wide Receiver Depth Chart

DK Metcalf

The altercation with a fan this year didn’t just result in Metcalf's suspension - it gave the Steelers a chance to void his guaranteed money if they so choose. That would facilitate a Metcalf trade if they are so inclined. The wide receiver room is pretty weak, so I don’t expect him to be moved, but it’s also more fun to speculate on that possibility.

He’s a big-bodied traditional split end, and a LOT of teams could use that, like the Patriots or Bills. Think about pairings like Tee Higgins/Ja'Marr Chase, George Pickens/CeeDee Lamb, Davante Adams/Puka Nacua, and Mike Evans/Chris Godwin. If teams like the Saints or Giants were to add a guy like this, Chris Olave or Malik Nabers could thrive in that slot/flanker role. That’s why players like this are sought after.

Calvin Austin

Arthur Smith loves his multi-TE sets, so this team really did not have an identity at WR2. Calvin Austin got a big opportunity early on, but a lack of production saw them bring in guys like Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to shake things up. Austin is a free agent, and I don’t expect him back after that.  

Adam Thielen

Adam Thielen formally announced his retirement in January, one of the best undrafted free agent wide receivers of all time.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

The man they call MVS was signed to the practice squad and quickly elevated. He’s played with a number of elite QBs in his career and never really been much more than a field stretcher. He’s an unrestricted free agent and is familiar with Mike McCarthy, so perhaps he hangs around.

Roman Wilson

Roman Wilson was injured early as a rookie and missed a lot of the install - that was the excuse we were given for him not playing. This past year, there was a big opportunity for him to step up, and he didn’t, registering only 12 catches for 166 yards and 2 TDs. He could be cut by the new regime, as he doesn’t really play special teams either. But they really don’t have many guys under contract.

Ben Skowronek

Skowronek is probably back simply because he’s under contract and plays a ton of special teams. Kind of crazy that he’s the one guy that we can be confident about being on the team - and that isn’t a 100% guarantee, as he can be cut with $2.2M in savings, ~$500K in dead cap.

Scotty Miller

Miller didn’t really contribute on offense or special teams, for that matter. He’s a free agent, and I don’t expect him back.

STEELERS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: This is why I don’t think trading DK Metcalf is a smart move here. If he’s gone, they basically have nothing. Let’s assume that they do have DK Metcalf and are all set with a big split end. If they bring in a guy who can play slot for three WR sets, then move to flanker for two WR sets, they are actually looking okay at the top of the depth chart. Then they would just need depth behind their primary guys. Here’s what I’m thinking.

 

 

 

Steelers Tight End Depth Chart

Jonnu Smith

The Steelers traded for Arthur Smith’s buddy Jonnu Smith, then immediately gave him a one-year $12M extension. With Smith gone, Jonnu actually becomes a cut or trade candidate as they can save $7M here. If he’s not cut, the Steelers will likely just be a fantasy football tight end mess once again.

Pat Freiermuth

The Steelers gave Muth a big extension, then muddied up this tight end room fairly quickly. If he were cut, they would save $4.9M in cap while eating $6.3M, so I don’t think that’s likely - if it does happen, it will have to happen before March 13th, when Freiermuth has a $1.5M bonus due. The hope for Freiermuth in your dynasty leagues is that they cut Jonnu and proceed with normal tight end usage - in which case, he could have some upside.

Darnell Washington

Darnell Washington is basically an extra offensive lineman who gets the ball every now and again when no one suspects it. His season ended with a broken forearm, but I expect him back as the primary blocking tight end in 2026.

Connor Heyward

Heyward is kind of a hybrid tight end/fullback. He’s an unrestricted free agent, but he plays a ton of special teams, so he could be back.

Donald Parham

Donald Parham suffered a season-ending injury before the year even kicked off. He’s an unrestricted free agent, and I don’t expect him back.

  • Reserves/Futures: JJ Gallbreath,

STEELERS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: Normal teams do not need this many tight ends. Even if they were to cut Jonnu Smith, having Pat Freiermuth as your starter and Darnell Washington as your primary blocker with Connor Heyway as your TE3 and special teamer is plenty. They don’t need to sign anyone.

  • POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

Become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!