The official 2025 NFL Free Agency thread

If it wasn't for the $70 billion contract for Metcalf, I might actually believe the Steelers are lowkey tanking.

 

Funny how Steelers are crucified for drafting Pickett.... but Colts get a pass with Richardson.

 

I think the Colts took him with the 5th overall pick after not being very good in college. At least Pickett had one good year in college.

 

Richardson still only has 15 starts because of injury. Plus, they knew he was a major project drafted purely on potential. It's a shame he's missed so much time, I haven't given up on him yet. He made more 'wow' plays in his 4 rookie starts than KP has in his career.

 

I was wondering.

 

Are the Steelers waiting to strike because they want to nail down a QB first? Is that the reason they're lagging behind here? I'm not sure why they've been so passive the last day with so many resources to play with. Weird ****, man.

 

It’s becoming clear what we are targeting in round 1 will be

 

He came to be competition with Pickett. I think our plan was to try to salvage Kenny, but when he felt like he was above competition we sent him packing. Fields was brought in with the compensation we got for Pickett. I know it was a competition for the role, but Wilson was pretty much handed the job regardless. Russ was injured for most of camp, and the little he played in preseason was atrocious. Fields wasn't lighting it up, but he was winning and we had a chance to truly evaluate him and make the decision on our QB position moving forward. Instead, we threw Wilson's corpse out there to basically throw for 170 yards a game anyways (171 per over his last 5 starts) outside of a small handful of games where he was good. His inability to bring NFL caliber QB play to the team was the main reason why we dropped all those games to end the year.

In their starts, it is hard to say that Russ out performed Fields

Fields per start
- 184 passing/39 rushing for a total of 223 yards per game
- 10 TD's in 6 games (1.66 per game)
- 2 turnovers in 6 games (.33 per game)
- 20.7 offensive points per game
- 4-2 record (2-0 vs playoff teams)

Russ per start
- 225 passing/14 rushing for a total of 239 yards per game
- 18 TD's in 11 games (1.63 per game)
- 10 turnovers in 11 games (.91 per game)
- 22.0 total offensive points per game
- 6-5 record (2-3 vs playoff teams)
- playoff game had 50 yards at half down 3 scores. Got some garbage time numbers, but again was a huge part of why we lost the game.

Essentially we traded a better TD and Turnover per game ratio for 16 yards, 1.3 points, and nearly triple the turnovers. We also didn't get to evaluate a 25 year old QB and see if he is even worth being a bridge QB for us to get us to our next draft pick. Instead we get to lose out on his services and fight a bottom feeding franchise in the Giants for the pleasure of overpaying a QB that is going to turn 42 this season. Benching Fieds for Wilson turned out to be one of the single most impactful (and worst) decisions made in Tomlin's entire tenure when it comes to player evaluation. It set the franchise back, and put us into a predicament at the QB position where we might be forced to take a QB in round 1 this year. We certainly will have to in 2026 if we don't this year. With Fields we could've been more patient, but mismanagement comes back to bite us in this regard.

 

I agree, but the Steelers did not. They followed up the big move for Metcalf by playing their usual game of waiting for bargains and it may be blowing up in their faces.

 

It almost certainly has to be QB at this point. We will probably go DL or CB... but if Dart or Sanders makes it to us, there is going to be a really good shot we go QB.

 

Fields isn't good. I don't think they ever considered him as a potential starter. He was a cheap, quality backup with Pickett gone.

Those comparisons miss something very important. Fields played against the easy part of the schedule. Wilson faced much tougher competition. Fields also had Pickens for all of his games. Wilson did not, which is huge given how poor the rest of the receiving corps was in 2024.

I don't think Pickett was going to be given an opportunity to compete. They brought in Wilson to start and that's what set him off.

 

@AdamSchefter
Former Chargers CB Kristian Fulton has agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs on a 2 year $20 million contract including $15 million fully guaranteed. Deal negotiated by Todd France of Athletes First.

Asante Samuel is about all that's left, and no thanks.

 

Good lord sanders has bust written all over him. If the Steelers draft him I will blow a gasket. I would take shough over just about all of them

 

Kahn and weidl disagreed about Dotson too and look how that turned out.

 

$8M/year for someone of a healthy Daniels caliber is quite reasonable. My only guess is that they know more about the injury than the Fins do

 

I actually disagree. I am not sure he is going to be a star, but he seems like a pretty safe bet to at least be okay. He does a lot of things well that NFL QB's have to do. He won't have to develop his processing and ability to read the field much. He has a strong arm and he scrambles to throw instead of run. I think his floor is highest of all the QB's in the draft (even if Ward and possibly even Dart have higher ceilings). He probably becomes a Geno Smith or Trevor Lawrence style QB in the NFL. His game is similar to both. I think he has upside to be good if he develops well, but I think he's a pretty safe bet to be a starting quality QB.

He's a cocky d-bag, but so are half the successful QB's in the league. Rodgers and Rivers come to mind in that regard. Really good QB's that had some personality issues in a somewhat related vein to Sanders. I'd probably not be in love with taking Sanders, but I would be totally fine if he was our pick at 21 (on the off chance he makes it there). He's pretty pro ready, and could become our starter very quickly (there's a good shot that either Rodgers or Wilson don't last the entire season without getting booed off the field). Its definitely an option.

There are 4 teams in the top 9 that could go QB (TEN, CLE, NYG, NO). After that our only threat is a team moving up from behind us... If only one QB goes top 10, then there is a pretty good shot Sanders and Dart on the table for consideration.

 

Missed tackle %.

No, if they were to pick up a Dobbins, Chubb, or really whomever at this point I expect them to pick up a back in the draft. The question is where. The lack of a second rounder looms is beginning to loom large. I didn't mind it at first, but with them going dark the past couple of days and not filling any other positions in FA they're overburdening the draft. I honestly don't get what the hell they're doing at this point.

I think taking a QB in the first would be a mistake. Outside of Ward no one warrants that kind of investment for the slim chance they offer in return of becoming a successful pro. Doesn't mean none of them will, it's just too high of a risk at that pick - especially with the other talent available.

 

One of the local media guys said they were waiting to see how much they had to pay a QB, but while they're waiting most of the good players have already been signed elsewhere .

 

When vets on the team like Cam, Minkah, and TJ call Wilson to get him to come to Pittsburgh, Wilson wasn't coming to be in competition with Pickett . Even Pickett saw the writing on the wall and asked for a trade.

 

I don’t care if someone is cocky. Makes absolutely no difference to me at all. With that being said I’ll take the opinion of people that actually played the game and worked as scouts over an armchair qb. I’m just crazy like that

 

Missing out on great players for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson deserves immediate firing lmao that's actually hard to believe.