With the Indianapolis Colts signing Alec Pierce to a $116 million contract, they were no longer able to afford fellow wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. The Pittsburgh Steelers were happy to swoop in and add Pittman to their passing attack.
Now, exactly what Pittsburgh paid up has been revealed. The Steelers traded away sixth-round pick (No. 214 overall) in exchange for Pittman and a seventh-round pick (No. 230.), via Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Pittsburgh is of course also taking on Pittman's salary, they managed to land the receiver by moving 16 spots down in the draft.
The 2026 season will mark the first time Pittman has played out of Indianapolis. Over his six years with the Colts, the receiver made 485 grabs for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns. He set a new career-high with seven touchdown receptions in 2025, recording 80 receptions and 784 yards overall.
If he had been playing for the Steelers, Pittman would've led the team in catches and touchdown grabs while ranking second to DK Metcalf's 850 yards receiving. Pittsburgh is hoping the Metcalf-Pittman pairing will elevate their offense to a different level. With both players still in their primes, it'll at the very least be a scary matchup for any opposing cornerback duo.
With the trade now finalized, the biggest question remaining is: Who will be throwing passes to Metcalf and Pittman? Veteran Aaron Rodgers seems like a logical option, especially with Mike McCarthy now the head coach. But for now, he remains in free agency. Still, the Steelers will be feel confident knowing that whoever is under center has two playmaking receivers to throw to.
