Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh has $19.3M in room today but faces a near-empty $1.6M next season, so every dollar spent this year carries real consequences.

19 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks this cycle with five landing in the first five rounds, plus 21 total picks over three years and three first-rounders in that window, gives Pittsburgh genuine rebuild firepower if the front office uses it wisely.

• Acquired: Round 5 from Cowboys, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Dolphins, this draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Cowboys, this draft
• Traded away: Round 5 to Dolphins, this draft

The roster's top strength is an elite defensive front built around T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, while the right guard spot, ranked 31st in the league at the starter level, is the clearest weakness on the team.

• LThigh

  Troy Fautanu (75 overall) is the starter but ranks 27th among starting left tackles, making this the most urgent upgrade on the roster.

• RGhigh

  Gennings Dunker (72 overall) starts at right guard and ranks 31st at the position, making this the single weakest spot on the offensive line.

• MIKElow

  Patrick Queen (79 overall) starts but depth is thin, and the unit ranks 25th in depth across the league.

• QBlow

  Aaron Rodgers (78 overall) leads the room but his situation at this stage of his career creates real uncertainty, with Drew Allar (69 overall) as the only developmental option behind him.

• RTlow

  Max Iheanachor (75 overall) holds the starting job, but the depth chart behind him ranks 18th overall and offers limited security.

• TElow

  Pat Freiermuth (79 overall) starts and the unit's depth actually ranks 4th in the league, but the starter still ranks 20th, leaving room to upgrade the top of the position.

• WILLlow

  Payton Wilson (75 overall) starts and depth ranks 3rd in the league, so this is a low-priority need that resolves itself if Wilson develops.

• 67Mason RudolphQBMason Rudolph sits third on the depth chart behind Rodgers and Allar, making him redundant at 67 overall, and releasing him frees $3.0M against $1.6M in dead money.Frees $3.0M · $1.6M dead
• 78Aaron RodgersQBAaron Rodgers' release frees $22.0M against only $500K in dead money, providing significant relief heading into a season where next-year cap room sits at just $1.6M, though cutting him leaves the quarterback room in Drew Allar's hands.Frees $22.0M · $500.0K dead
• 54Ryan McCollumCRyan McCollum is the backup center at 54 overall with Zach Frazier firmly entrenched as the starter, and cutting him frees $1.1M against just $180K in dead money.Frees $1.1M · $180.0K dead
• 70Ben SkowronekWRBen Skowronek is the fourth receiver on the depth chart at 70 overall with an aging profile, and releasing him frees $2.3M against $540K in dead money.Frees $2.3M · $540.0K dead
• 67Robert TonyanTERobert Tonyan sits third on the tight end depth chart at 67 overall behind Freiermuth and Washington, and cutting him frees $1.1M with zero dead money.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

Pittsburgh hands you a defense that can still carry games, headlined by T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and Jalen Ramsey, but the offense is a work in progress built on shaky foundations at left tackle and right guard. Aaron Rodgers is the starter but is well into the late stage of his career, and Drew Allar at 69 overall is not yet ready to step in without risk. DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman give Rodgers legitimate weapons, and Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle form a capable backfield, but none of that matters if the line keeps leaking pressure. Cam Heyward and Jalen Ramsey are both in the late stages of their careers, which means the defensive ceiling that exists today will begin to compress without intentional succession planning. The cap picture is workable this season at $19.3M in room but narrows sharply to $1.6M next year, demanding disciplined contract management. With seven picks this cycle, five of them in the first five rounds, there are real resources to address the trenches and begin building toward a post-transition window, but the window to compete with this current core is short.

The Steelers were founded on July 8, 1933, by Art Rooney, who paid a $2,500 NFL franchise fee and named the team the Pittsburgh Pirates after the city's baseball club. For nearly four decades the franchise was among the NFL's most futile, posting just one playoff appearance (a 1947 loss to Philadelphia) through 1971. The name changed to "Steelers" in 1940 to honor the region's steel industry; the team briefly merged with Philadelphia (the 1943 "Steagles") and the Chicago Cardinals (1944's winless "Card-Pitt") during World War II player shortages. The turning point came when Chuck Noll was hired in 1969. Through a remarkable run of drafts, Noll assembled a dynasty: the "Immaculate Reception", Franco Harris's miraculous catch in a December 23, 1972 playoff win over Oakland, gave the franchise its first-ever postseason victory and launched a golden era. Behind the "Steel Curtain" defense, the Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years (IX, X, XIII, XIV), becoming the first team to win four titles and the only one to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice. After a fallow 1980s, Bill Cowher (hired 1992) returned the team to contention, reaching Super Bowl XXX after the 1995 season. The Steelers won their fifth title in Super Bowl XL (February 2006) as a No. 6 seed, the first sixth seed to win a Super Bowl. Mike Tomlin took over in 2007 and won Super Bowl XLIII (February 2009), the franchise's sixth championship, making Pittsburgh the first team to six Super Bowl wins. Tomlin never had a losing season in 19 years but did not win a playoff game after the 2016 season; he stepped down in January 2026, and Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy was hired as the franchise's 17th head coach.