Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is heading to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He appears quite pleased with that development.
After news surfaced the Indianapolis Colts were dealing Pittman to the Steelers on Monday, the wideout delivered a 3-word response on X.
Pittman included twice as many exclamation points as words. The reaction was also in all caps.
“BLACK AND GOLD!!!!!!” Pittman wrote.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter initially broke the news the Colts were sending Pittman to the Steelers. Fellow NFL insider Josina Anderson reported the trade will include “flipping ‘late round picks.'”
Pittman will head to Pittsburgh after six seasons in Indianapolis. In 95 games with the Colts, the wideout posted 485 catches, 5,254 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns.
His best statistical season in Indianapolis was 2023. During 2025, he had 80 receptions, 784 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Steelers Acquire WR Michael Pittman Jr. From Colts
The only people potentially more excited about Pittman landing in Pittsburgh than the receiver himself are Steelers fans. The team has been near the bottom of the league in offensive weapons the past couple years.
Last offseason, ironically, also on March 9, the team acquired D.K. Metcalf. He led the Steelers in receiving yards during 2025.
But before the campaign, the Steelers shipped George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. Pickens led the team in receiving during 2024.
In both seasons, the Steelers didn’t have another wideout reach even 550 receiving yards. Calvin Austin III was second among Pittsburgh receivers with 372 yards during 2025.
Austin is an unrestricted free agent. But with Pittman, the Steelers now have a pair of wideouts capable of putting together 1,000-yard campaigns if given enough targets.
The concern with Pittman is his drop in efficient during 2025. He averaged just 9.8 yards per reception while Alec Pierce was the team’s deep threat.
The Colts signed Pierce to a contract extension Monday, which led to the Pittman trade. Indianapolis dumped considerable salary for the 2026 campaign in the receiver’s trade.
But with Metcalf as Pittsburgh’s primary deep threat, Pittman mostly as an underneath target could work well for the offense. Pittman has averaged 10.8 yards per reception in his career.
Steelers Sign Pittman to New Contract: Report
Besides landing with the Steelers, Pittman had another reason to be pleased with the trade — another contract.
Within an hour of acquiring Pittman, the Steelers also signed Pittman to a new deal.
Similar to the trade, full details of the new contract are not yet public. But NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the deal as a 3-year, $59 million contract.
In Indianapolis, Pittman was set to have a $24 million cap hit during 2026. It’s almost a guarantee that the receiver’s cap hit in Pittsburgh will be lower this upcoming season.
Even with the addition of Pittman, the Steelers are likely still in the market to add another receiver this offseason.
Because the team didn’t give up any Day 1 or 2 draft capital to acquire the former Colts receiver, the Steelers could still target a receiver early in the draft. Or depending on Pittman’s new contract, perhaps the Steelers could afford another veteran receiver as well.
Besides Metcalf, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are the other notable receivers returning on the Pittsburgh 2026 roster.
New Steelers WR Michael Pittman Jr. Delivers 3-Word Reaction on Trade to Pittsburgh