The Steelers have made an addition to their coaching staff.
Multiple outlets noted that the Steelers have added Darian Thompson to the list of coaches on their website. Thompson is listed as a special teams quality control assistant.
The move comes after the team fired senior special teams assistant Derius Swinton last month. That move was reportedly made due to workplace misconduct.
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy had Thompson on his Cowboys staff as an assistant linebackers coach in 2023 and 2024. He remained on Brian Schottenheimer’s staff last year, but was not retained after the team hired Christian Parker as their defensive coordinator. Thompson also played safety in the league and was on the Cowboys’ roster during McCarthy’s first two years as their head coach.
Steelers Clips
The Steelers signed defensive back Ahmari Harvey, the team announced Thursday.
Harvey originally signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 draft.
He played four seasons at Georgia Tech after transferring from Auburn (2021). While with the Yellow Jackets, he appeared in 43 games and recorded 121 tackles, including 98 solo stops.
He also added 12 passes defensed, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one sack.
In a corresponding move, the team released defensive end K.J. Henry.
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. wants a long-term extension. He may or may not get one.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette questioned whether the team and Porter will come to an agreement.
“They haven’t soured on the idea, but I don’t think they’re prepared to pay him the amount some people think he is worth,” Dulac wrote.
Porter did limited work in the offseason program, and he could continue with a hold-in during training camp.
Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie leads all players at his position with an annual salary of $31 million. Indianapolis’ Sauce Gardner and Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. are at $30 million a season.
Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon and New England’s Christian Gonzalez soon could sign deals with similar annual averages.
Porter, who turns 26 later this week, has never earned Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. He has three interceptions and 31 pass breakups in 47 career games.
Aaron Rodgers is planning for the 2026 season to be his final one as an NFL player, but the Steelers could continue to benefit from his experience after he officially hangs up the cleats.
The Steelers drafted wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round of this year’s draft and the rookie said at his youth football camp that the quarterback has taken him under his wing since Rodgers decided to return to Pittsburgh.
“Coming in as a rookie and him being an NFL vet, man, he’s just teaching me the game,” Bernard said, via Fox54 in Huntsville, Alabama. “He’s helping me catch up because he thinks I have the potential to play. He’s just pouring into me as much as he can. I just ask questions and I try to learn, be a sponge as much as I can. Receive what they’re telling me because they know the best, they’ve been played the game for a long time.”
Learning from a quarterback like Rodgers should benefit Bernard’s transition to the professional ranks and the rookie’s presence could help Rodgers go out with a strong season. Adding Bernard and Michael Pittman Jr. to DK Metcalf gives the Steelers more offensive firepower than they had last season and provides reason to think the quarterback’s last stand can be a more successful one.
Who does the GOAT consider to be the GOAT?
Tom Brady, in an appearance on the Stick To Football podcast, gave a strong endorsement of Aaron Rodgers.
“I think there’s no greater passer of the football than Aaron Rodgers,” Brady said, via Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. “There’s certain people, you see everyone do it, and then you see one person throw the ball that much better. Aaron Rodgers was incredible.”
Brady says it like Rodgers isn’t still playing. For at least one more year, Rodgers will continue to be spinning it for the Steelers.
"[It’s] hard to put into words how incredible he passes the ball,” Brady said. “The way it comes out of his hand, the way it spins and delivers with the pace and the accuracy. . . . There’s only probably three people in the history of the NFL that could do it like him.”
Of course, throwing the ball is just part of what it takes to play quarterback. For whatever reason (and it’s possibly as simple as Rodgers not having enough help around him), he has been to and won only one Super Bowl. Brady has won seven Super Bowls, and he’s been to 10.
It’s also worth noting that, when Brady’s Raiders were looking for a quarterback in 2025, they did not pursue Rodgers, opting instead for a run at Matthew Stafford and then a trade for Geno Smith.
Rodgers’s claim to GOAT status comes from an uncanny touchdown-to-interception ratio (527 to 123 in the regular season) and the general sense that he has the rare ability to put extra mustard on his throws, with the ball making a different kind of sound as it slices through the air.
He’ll have at least one more chance to parlay his arm talent into winning a second ring.
For a third-round rookie cornerback, going up against one of the best wide receivers in the NFL is a tall order. But Steelers rookie cornerback Daylen Everette is enjoying the challenge this offseason.
Everette got a lot of work with the first-string defense while starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. sat out while seeking a new contract. That meant practicing against the first-string offense and covering wide receiver DK Metcalf.
"[Metcalf] is a big physical guy, so going against someone like him, it can help me to guard anyone else,” Everette said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I enjoy going against him because I know it’s helping me get better.”
Everette was a first-team All-SEC cornerback last year at Georgia, and he got a lot of playing time against high-quality competition in his four years with the Bulldogs. The Steelers hope that means he’s ready to contribute as a rookie. Observers of the Steelers’ offseason practices have said Everette looks while covering Metcalf like he’s ready to take on NFL competition.
The offseason programs around the league have largely wrapped up for 2026, with players and coaches around the league now experiencing some time off.
But training camps are just a few weeks away from opening.
The NFL announced the camp report dates for all 32 teams on Monday, with the first ones opening up in less than a month.
Below are the camp locations and report dates:
Arizona Cardinals: State Farm Stadium | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans 7/22
Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta Falcons Training Facility | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Baltimore Ravens: Under Armour Performance Center | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Buffalo Bills: St. John Fisher University | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/22
Chicago Bears: Halas Hall | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cincinnati Bengals: Paycor Stadium | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cleveland Browns: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Dallas Cowboys: Marriott Residence Inn Oxnard | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Denver Broncos: Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans: 7/28
Detroit Lions: Meijer Performance Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Green Bay Packers: Lambeau Field | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Houston Texans: Houston Methodist Training Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Indianapolis Colts: Grand Park | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Jacksonville Jaguars: Miller Electric Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Kansas City Chiefs: Missouri Western State University | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Las Vegas Raiders: Intermountain Health Performance Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolt | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Rams: Loyola Marymount University | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/25
Miami Dolphins: Baptist Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Minnesota Vikings: TCO Performance Center | Rookies: 7/26 | Veterans: 7/28
New England Patriots: New Balance Athletics Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/24
New Orleans Saints: Ochsner Sports Performance Center | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Giants: Quest Diagnostics Training Center/The Greenbrier | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Jets: Athletic Health Jets Training Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Philadelphia Eagles: Jefferson Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Pittsburgh Steelers: Saint Vincent College | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
San Francisco 49ers: SAP Performance Facility | Rookies: 7/18 | Veterans: 7/25
Seattle Seahawks: Virginia Mason Athletic Center | Rookies: 7/17 | Veterans: 7/24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: AdventHealth Training Center | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Tennessee Titans: Vanderbilt Health Football Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Washington Commanders: Commanders Park | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Prior to what became the last year of Terry Bradshaw’s career, the Steelers had a chance to select Pitt product Dan Marino with the 21st overall selection in the draft. They passed.
In the months after the last game of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, the Steelers had a chance to select Pitt product Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall selection in the draft. They pounced.
After only two seasons, they punted on Pickett.
Earlier this week, former Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert defended the decision to draft Pickett during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
“We projected Kenny to be a start-and-win NFL quarterback, and quite honestly, he lived up to that in his first two seasons with us,” Colbert said, via Jack Markowski of SI.com. “For us, he was 14-10 and trending in the right direction. So that’s what we thought we had in Kenny.”
Colbert retired before the decision was made to trade Pickett to the Eagles. He spent the 2024 season in Philadelphia (where he won a Super Bowl ring, unlike Marino) and 2025 in Las Vegas (after being traded to the Browns and then to the Raiders).
Now, Pickett sits on the Panthers’ depth chart behind starter Bryce Young. Does that mean Pickett will be a career backup? Colbert still believes Pickett has a promising future.
“Kenny’s a great young man,” Colbert said. “He’s a great competitor. . . . And I still think at a young age, I still think Kenny can continue to build on what he did with us in those first two seasons.”
Pickett, now 28, will need to get a chance to play — and play well — as an understudy in order to earn an opportunity to compete to be a starter again. For now, he has been relegated to journeyman.
Meanwhile, the Steelers don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback. They went 20 years between Bradshaw and Roethlisberger because they rarely pick high enough to get a potential franchise quarterback. And, as owner Art Rooney II has made it clear, they have no desire to chalk up a season to “rebuilding” and hope it positions them to secure a great incoming prospect through a top-10 position in the draft.
In the 53 years since winning their first playoff game on December 23, 1972, the Steelers have picked in the top 10 only five times — and never higher than No. 7. They may need to have one of their uncharacteristic bottom-third seasons before they’ll be in position to get the next quarterback who can join Bradshaw and Roethlisberger as the only true year-to-year franchise quarterbacks the franchise has ever had.
Pittsburgh has signed linebacker Jacoby Windmon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Windmon, 24, initially joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2024. He spent time on the practice squad during the regular season before he was signed to Carolina’s 53-man roster midway through the season. He returned to Pittsburgh’s practice squad in October of last season before again heading to the Panthers in November.
Windmon most recently was with the UFL’s Columbus Aviators after being waived by Carolina last month.
He’s appeared in nine regular season games, recording 22 total tackles with 1.5 sacks and a pair of passes defensed.
The Vikings reportedly shied away from Aaron Rodgers in 2025 due in part to the impact of his freelancing style on the ability of J.J. McCarthy to learn from him.
The Steelers are embracing the things Rodgers can teach rookie Drew Allar. As Allar tells it, Rodgers is.
“With me, specifically, he’s pulled me aside during practice to talk through some drill work or things to focus on through different drills,” Allar said last week, via Jarrett Bailey of SB Nation. “In the film room, [he’s] just asking me questions of what I was seeing, what I was looking at and why. [He’s] giving me a lot of good knowledge. I’m really excited to keep learning from him. Obviously he’s one of the best to ever do it in this game. So the opportunity I have is one I’m not going to take for granted.”
Yes, Allar needs to learn how to run the Pittsburgh offense. More broadly, Allar needs to learn how to play the position. Rodgers has more than two decades of experience.
When Rodgers was drafted by the Packers, Allar was only 13 months old.
With Rodgers the clear starter for 2026, it makes sense for Allar to soak up everything he can. Rodgers admittedly is in his last year; there’s no reason to keep any of his cards close to the vest.
