The Pittsburgh Steelers have endured a whirlwind of a week, to say the least. On Monday night, the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs after they suffered a blowout 30-6 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans. Less than 24 hours later, head coach Mike Tomlin resigned from his post, forcing Pittsburgh to begin an unexpected search for a new leader for the first time in 19 years.
That’s been quite a bit to process, but the NFL waits for no one. The Steelers have begun identifying candidates to interview for their head coach opening, but that’s not all they have been doing since getting eliminated from the playoffs. They have also begun signing players to their team, with one of their most interesting moves seeing them sign former New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Smith.
Steelers Sign Brandon Smith to Futures Contract
Throughout the season, arguably the biggest area of weakness on the Steelers’ roster was their wide receiver room. While DK Metcalf is a star, the group of playmakers behind him was truly lacking. Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson didn’t pan out as expected, and midseason additions Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen struggled to get up to speed after landing with the team.
Heading into the offseason, it’s clear that Pittsburgh is going to look for a new wide receiver to pair up alongside Metcalf on offense. While nobody is saying Smith will be that guy, the front office quickly identified him as a guy worth taking a flier on. If all goes according to plan, he could emerge as a contributor on offense in 2026.
After playing his college football with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Smith spent the first two seasons of his career with the Jets, appearing in three total games during that time. While he has yet to haul in the first catch of his career, Smith has upside that the Steelers are looking to tap into, which is why they signed him to a futures contract earlier this week.
“The Steelers are signing WVU product Doug Nester and WR Brandon Smith to futures/reserve contracts,” Riley Holsinger of WTAJ News shared in a post on X.
Steelers Have Lots of Work to Do this Offseason After Latest Playoff Failure
GettyAaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers
If Smith pans out for Pittsburgh, that would surely be a win, but expectations aren’t very high. These are simply the sorts of moves teams make while waiting for the offseason to really get underway. Truth be told, the Steelers have bigger fish to fry when it comes to this offseason, and that’s what fans are going to be truly focused on moving forward.
Once Pittsburgh hires a new head coach, the front office will have to begin tinkering with their roster. The biggest question in that department involves the future of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who could very well call it a career after spending just one year with the Steelers. This offseason is very important for Pittsburgh, and while a lot has happened already, it is only just getting underway.
Steelers Sign Former Iowa & New York Jets Wide Receiver to Futures Deal