The Pittsburgh Steelers will probably lose this key weapon during the NFL offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense was certainly nothing to write home about this past year, due much in part to the fact that the Steelers were very short on weapons.
Outside of D.K. Metcalf, Pittsburgh didn't really have any reliable playmakers, which was the primary factor in its offense being ranked 25th in the NFL.
To make matters worse, the Steelers are expected to lose one of their top offensive players this offseason.
Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that running back Kenneth Gainwell is expected to "explore the possibility of signing elsewhere during the free-agent period" and that he is "seeking a contract bigger than what the Steelers might be willing to pay him."
Gainwell rushed for 537 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry in 2025. He also hauled in 73 receptions for 486 yards and three scores, giving him a grand total of 1,023 yards from scrimmage on the year.
The 25-year-old also returned 26 kicks for 633 yards this past season, so Gainwell did a little bit of everything for Pittsburgh.
Kenneth Gainwell. Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images.The Steelers signed Gainwell to a one-year, $1.79 million contract last spring. Spotrac is projecting him to land a two-year, $5.9 million deal in free agency, but based on Dulac's report, it seems like Gainwell will bag quite a bit more than that.
Jaylen Warren was Pittsburgh's lead back in 2025, registering 958 yards and six touchdowns on 4.5 yards per attempt. Gainwell was a terrific supplementary piece for the team, so if he departs, the Steelers will have to find an answer.
Pittsburgh selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the NFL Draft last April, but Johnson carried the ball just 28 times for 69 yards and was basically benched after a brutal special teams blunder early in the season.
Perhaps the Steelers will give Johnson another chance next fall, or maybe they will select another halfback in the draft this spring.
Pittsburgh is also slated to have a nice chunk of cap room to work with in free agency, so the Steelers might also be able to find a solution on the open market.
Or maybe the Steelers will end up re-signing Gainwell after all. We'll see what happens.
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