The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a trade for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts,\u00a0league sources told The Athletic on Monday. The deal will also involve a swap of late-round draft picks. The trade can\u2019t become official until the new year league begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Pittman, 28, was entering the final year of his contract, but he\u2019ll receive a new three-year, $59 million contract with the Steelers, the sources said.<\/p>\n
Pittman spent his first six NFL seasons in Indianapolis, topping 1,000 receiving yards twice. In 2025, he had a team-leading 80 receptions for 784 yards and seven touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Why Pittman is the right fit in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n
The Steelers entered the offseason with just three receivers on their roster (DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek). By trading for Pittman, they get a veteran player with size (6-foot-4, 223), physicality and pedigree.<\/p>\n
Beyond simply adding a pass catcher, Pittman is the type of receiver who fits what they\u2019re looking for. Should the Steelers agree to a deal with Aaron Rodgers, the 42-year-old quarterback seems to prefer veterans who understand the nuances of route running, how to read coverages and what it takes to prepare for an opponent. Pittman, a solid possession receiver who slots in as a No. 2 behind Metcalf, checks a lot of those boxes.<\/p>\n
By trading for a receiver instead of signing one on the open market, the Steelers might also benefit when compensatory picks are handed out next offseason. That\u2019s something that could be important if they\u2019re looking to accumulate picks to potentially move up and select a QB in 2027.<\/p>\n
The trade begins to round out the Steelers\u2019 wide receivers room, but that process likely is not complete. As the Steelers transition from Arthur Smith\u2019s tight end-heavy offense into Mike McCarthy\u2019s system, the need for depth at receiver is all the more important. It wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see Pittsburgh target a receiver later in free agency and\/or the draft. Stylistically, and with Calvin Austin III still unsigned, the Steelers will also need to determine if Wilson will be their punt returner or if they need to find a wideout who can also fill that role. \u2014 Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer<\/p>\n
Why the Colts moved on<\/p>\n
Once Indianapolis locked down Alec Pierce<\/a> on a new four-year, $116 million deal, it was a formality that the team would move from Pittman. The Colts were already looking to create salary-cap space so they could pay Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones, on whom they\u2019ve placed the transition tag<\/a>, as both sides work toward a long-term contract. Pittman carried a $29 million cap hit in 2026, and by trading him before June 1, the Colts created $24 million in cap space this offseason with just $5 million in dead money. The veteran receiver was candid about his contract situation at the end of the season and foreshadowed that he may have to continue his career elsewhere.<\/p>\n Pittman emerged as the Colts\u2019 No. 1 receiver in 2021 and held that unofficial title until Pierce leapfrogged him last season. The Colts made the logical decision to move on after they retained Pierce, but that leaves a void at receiver. Indianapolis will either need to draft Pittman\u2019s replacement or add a proven veteran in free agency (or maybe both). Josh Downs is the next receiver on the Colts\u2019 depth chart, though he\u2019s undersized (5-9, 171 pounds) and typically thrives in the slot.<\/p>\n A tough and rugged receiver, Pittman should fit right in with the Steelers\u2019 culture. His father, former running back and Super Bowl champion Michael Pittman Sr., instilled a workmanlike approach in his son that has often endeared him to his teammates and coaches. Pittman is a very willing blocker and brings a level of nastiness to that responsibility; it ensures opponents feel his presence even when he isn\u2019t catching the ball. \u2014 James Boyd, Colts beat writer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a trade for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts,\u00a0league…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4918,1418,73,75,74,1833],"class_list":["post-133926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-pittsburgh-steelers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}