For the second straight offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for a receiver.
Last offseason it was DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. That wasn’t enough to round out what was a very thin receiving corps. So the Steelers made another deal Monday.
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Right after the Indianapolis Colts signed Alec Pierce to a massive extension, they shipped off another highly paid receiver. Michael Pittman Jr. was traded from the Colts to the Steelers. The deal was for a late-round pick swap, according to The Athletic.
Here are the grades for the trade:
Steelers add Michael Pittman Jr.
It says something about the state of the Steelers’ receiving room a couple years ago that they could add Metcalf and still have a huge deficiency.
Pittman brings a needed possession receiver to the mix. In four of his six NFL seasons he has had at least 80 catches. Pittman topped out with 109 catches for 1,152 yards for the Colts in 2023. He’s a good, solid player who was priced out of Indianapolis. Pittman was on the final year of a three-year, $70 million deal, and his teammate Alec Pierce signed a four-year, $114 million deal on Monday. That made it expensive for the Colts to keep both, and the Steelers took advantage. A late-round pick swap isn’t much to pay. The Steelers did sign Pittman to a three-year, $59 million extension according to ESPN. That’s a reasonable deal for a receiver at Pittman’s level.
Michael Pittman Jr. will join the Steelers after a trade from the Colts. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
(Tim Warner via Getty Images)
Pittman is 28 years old and should complement Metcalf well. The Steelers don’t yet know who will be their quarterback in 2026, but whoever steps into the role will have an upgraded receiving corps to work with.
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Grade: B+
Colts sign a WR, move a WR
The price tag for Pierce was higher than we thought.
The Colts moved Pittman after Pierce’s massive contract extension. Clearly they figured that paying two receivers more than $20 million a season wasn’t in their budget, especially with their Daniel Jones situation not completely resolved. So now losing Pittman has to be included in the big picture when judging the Pierce deal.
Pittman is a steady performer for the Colts, although a bit short of being a true star. Indianapolis clearly prioritized Pierce, and paid him as one of the NFL’s best receivers. They didn’t get much back for Pittman in the trade, just some salary relief. It’s hard to be too excited for what the Colts added in the deal vs. what they gave up.
Grade: C-