With ample cap space and a new offensive scheme, the Steelers target three of their own free agents.
Once this week’s NFL Scouting Combine ends, the league’s focus turns to free agency.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have 29 players who will become free agents – 22 of them restricted -- on March 11, though teams can begin negotiating with players two days earlier as part of the league’s “legal tampering” window.
It will be interesting to see how many of those players Pittsburgh tries to retain. Mike McCarthy replaced Mike Tomlin as coach last month, and it remains to be seen how much he would like to remake the roster. The Steelers also have $44 million in salary cap space, the eighth-highest total in the NFL.
The defense will continue to use the 3-4 alignment under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. However, McCarthy will call the offensive plays, and he would prefer a more wide-open version of the West Coast offense than the one Pittsburgh ran the last two seasons under former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
While this might sound counterintuitive, the three free agents the Steelers really need to retain are all on offense – quarterback Aaron Rodgers, running back Kenneth Gainwell, and left guard Issac Seumalo.
The oldest player in the NFL at 42, Rodgers led Pittsburgh to the AFC North title last season, its first since 2020. Rodgers is the best fit for the Steelers on the free-agent market, though.
Rodgers and McCarthy were together for 12 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers’ familiarity with the new coach could help make the transition from Tomlin to McCarthy go smoother. Rodgers can also tide Pittsburgh over for one more season until it finds the franchise quarterback it has been seeking since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season.
Gainwell won’t be a bargain like he was last season when he played on a one-year, $1.79-million contract. The price will be significantly higher after Gainwell was voted the team MVP by his teammates.
Gainwell, 26, provided the Steelers with production in both the running game and passing game while contributing on special teams. He has the skill set to thrive in McCarthy’s offense and has a big booster in Rodgers.
Then there is Seumalo, who quietly had another fine season last year while serving as a veteran anchor on an offensive line that included three second-year players.
Though Seumalo is 32, he remains an effective blocker as Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 73.7 for 2025. In the three seasons he has played for Pittsburgh, Seumalo has been rated 12th, 26th, and 16th among the league’s guards by PFF.
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