Pittsburgh Steelers

Cam Heyward won’t be holding out, or holding in, in 2026.

The veteran Steelers defensive lineman has signed a one-year extension, per multiple reports.

The total two-year deal is worth $32.25 million. Of the amount, $16.25 million is fully guarantee.

Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the $18 million new-money APY makes it the largest contract given to an NFL defensive players who at the age of 36 or older.

A first-round pick in 2011, Heyward is a seven-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-team All-Pro, and the 2023 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year. Heyward turns 37 in May.

Punter Cameron Johnston will have a second stint with the Steelers.

Johnston, who previously played for the Steelers in 2024, signed a one-year contract with the team today.

The last time Johnston was a Steeler, it didn’t go well: He signed a three-year contract in 2024 but suffered a season-ending injury in Week One. The Steelers cut him in 2025 and he ended up playing three games for the Bills and one for the Giants last season.

An Australian who moved to the United States to punt at Ohio State, Johnston originally entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Eagles in 2017. He spent four years with the Eagles and three with the Texans before signing with the Steelers the first time.

Plenty of veteran quarterbacks are and will be available. The Steelers are sitting at the window, waiting for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to come home.

But as they press a collective nose against the glass, they’re also reportedly “nosing around” the quarterback market.

Mike Garafolo used that term during a Monday appearance on NFL Network in explaining that the Steelers know they need to have a “contingency plan” in place, if Rodgers decides to play for someone else — or to not play at all.

Either way, the clock is ticking. And potential options will be disappearing.

Kirk Cousins. Geno Smith. Joe Flacco. Just to name a few. Will any of them wait to see what Rodgers will do?

The Steelers shouldn’t be waiting. All due respect to the future first-ballot Hall of Famer, but Rodgers is a long way from the guy who won four MVP awards.

Really, who else is pursuing him? Last year, Rodgers was the Plan B if Matthew Stafford left the Rams. That’s it.

This year, the Cardinals make sense, but for the fact that they can just go ahead and renovate the basement of the NFC West.

When word broke on Monday that the Colts and Steelers agreed on a trade that will send wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh, there were not any details of the draft pick swap that would be part of the deal.

Tuesday brought more about which picks are involved in the trade. Albert Breer of SI.com reports that the Steelers will be sending a sixth-round pick to Indianapolis for Pittman and a seventh-round selection. The trade cannot become official until the new league year is underway on Wednesday.

Pittman has also agreed to a new three-year deal with the Steelers worth $59 million.

The Colts also agreed to a new deal with wideout Alec Pierce on Monday and will move forward with him, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, and Anthony Gould at wide receiver.

The Steelers are re-signing defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo to a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Otomewo, 27, signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last March.

He totaled nine tackles and one sack in 12 games, seeing action on 173 defensive snaps and 24 on special teams.

Otomewo entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2022.

He played one season in Minnesota before heading to Jacksonville.

In his career, Otomewo has recorded 18 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 21 games. He has made two starts.

Three pumps for three rivers. (We know, we know. It was only two.)

Panthers running back Rico Dowdle, who signed a one-year deal in Carolina a year ago, has agreed to terms with the Steelers, per Jordan Schultz.

Terms have not yet been reported.

Earlier today, Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell, the team’s MVP in 2025, agreed on a two-year, $14 million contract with the Buccaneers.

In 2025, Dowdle had 1,076 rushing yards and 297 receiving yards in 17 regular-season games. In Week 5 and Week 6, he had back-to-back games with more than 200 yards from scrimmage.

Dowdle signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Panthers a year ago, after spending his first four seasons with the Cowboys. During his final year in Dallas, Dowdle had 1,079 rushing yards.

The Cardinals agreed to terms with offensive guard Isaac Seumalo on a three-year, $31.5 million deal, according to multiple reports.

Seumalo, 32, made his only Pro Bowl in 2024.

He played the left side for the Steelers, where Evan Brown played for the Cardinals most of last season.

Seumalo entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Eagles in 2016 and played seven seasons in Philadelphia, winning a Super Bowl ring in 2017.

Seumalo signed with the Steelers in 2023.

He started all 44 games he played with Pittsburgh and has 104 starts in his 10-year career.

Seumalo ranks 39th on PFT’s list of top-100 free agents.

The NFL announced 33 compensatory draft selections in the 2026 draft awarded to 15 teams.

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible for compensatory draft picks. The compensatory picks are positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

In addition to the 32 compensatory selections awarded under the net-loss formula, a special compensatory selection was awarded to the Lions for the Jets hiring Aaron Glenn as their head coach. The initiative is intended to promote minority hirings. The Lions traded the pick to the Jaguars.

The following 2026 compensatory draft picks were awarded for the 2026 draft, which will be held on April 23-April 25 in Pittsburgh:

Devin Bush wears No. 30. And 30 is the right number to wear.

The former Browns linebacker has agreed to terms on a three-year, $30 million deal with the Bears, per multiple reports.

Bush was a first-round pick of the Steelers in 2019. After four years in Pittsburgh, he signed with the Seahawks. The next year, he joined the Browns. The Browns wanted to keep him on the conclusion of his second one-year deal. He made $3.25 million last year.

He’s now tripling it, on average, with the Bears. Who seem to be serious about taking the franchise to the next level under Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams.

Cornerback Jamel Dean is trading in his Buccaneers uniform for the black and yellow of the Steelers.

NFL Media reports that Dean has agreed to a three-year deal in Pittsburgh. The pact is worth $36.75 million for the veteran defensive back.

Dean entered the league as a 2019 third-round pick and has spent all seven of his NFL seasons in Tampa. He was a starter for most of that run and helped the team win the Super Bowl during his second season.

Dean closed out his run with the team by recording 46 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles in 14 games last season.