The Steelers could have been contenders in 2025

Yep, Steelers are dead last in TOP, offensive snaps, and facing the most defensive snaps.

 

OP...why do you think Cam got extra money this year?

He asked for more money. The team said no.

But to let try to maintain the relationship and let him save face, they gave him parley type incentives that almost no one his age would achieved.

He won't hit either of these marks (and even if he did, it's not much money):

• 8.5 sacks and make the playoffs (+$1.6MM)
• 11.5 sacks and win a playoff game (+$1.6MM)

He currently has 1.5 sacks.

This is like how people complained about his last extension after he took a pay cut (not including cap inflation). Not sure if this happened here, but several people did this on the board I came from.

 

AYE!

 

Noll stayed too long as well, WAY past his prime. The game passed him by, like you say. loyalty can have its faults.

with Tomlin, it is ridiculous. the modern game has passed him by too. He does not play to win, he plays NOT to lose.

It was time, too, for Cowher to hit the road.

 

I agree on Sam Darnold, he was the better option over a slow declining AR. Even with our less than stellar offensive brain trust.

Resigning Watt and Cam were gambles given their declining play. Risky moves that didnt pay off.

Looking at our moves overall for 2025 it was comprised of gambling on older veteran players hoping they had something left in the tank for a playoff push. This just reeks of a Tomlin hail mary for a couple playoff wins. But we did compromise the future in doing this by tying up cap space in resigning Watt and Cam (and losing out on trade value), and AR will be gone next year, are we going to thrust our rookie Qb onto the field on day 1? Maybe having a darnold to give the rookie time wouldve been the more thoughtful way to go.

Maybe we should see if Flacco is available next year to fill that veteran gap.

 

drafting Marino in 83 might have improved Nolls post 1984 win loss record. He would have retired around the same time, but on a higher note, and maybe with a 5th ring.

still, he kept the team competitive without good Qb play, over the hill remnants from the 70’s, average players and a few young up and comers joining in 89-90.

 

The steelers defense face 6.8 plays per drive,30th in the NFL,so they deserve a part of the blame for that too

 

Well we won't be there but the AFC Playoffs should be great to watch. Games should go down to the wire.

 

the AFC does suck this year,

that is a fact.

The NFC is where the talent is.

DEN and NE are just baby teams trying to grow up....

 

For the Steelers sake, we better hope the upcoming draft class has some all-time great talent. With all the picks they've stockpiled, it needs to be a bonanza. Gonna need that to overcome the coaching.

 

Funny enough, the Steelers could still make it. Not because I think they are anything other than a steaming pile of crap, but because the Ravens suck just as bad. This division has gone from being the toughest, most competitive in football to being so bad that there could easily be a sub .500 team repping the division in the playoffs.

 

If you are talking about being good this year with those moves we would have had to hit on a lot of the draft picks. Then they usually take time to develop. I agree the AFC is wide open especially the AFC North. Heck Baltimore has won 5 of 6 I think and they are not even playing good. To me our biggest mistake was trading Pickens then paying Watt. We could’ve used that money elsewhere.

Also, you are correct on the Ramsey trade. It’s the same player for the same player pretty much. Slay was decent for a while but he’s been awful with us. I can’t remember the last time Jhonnu caught a pass or Pat. They either are not schemed into the offense or they just can’t get open and Rodgers doesn’t like throwing them the ball.

We have a lot of wholes and regardless we will most likely be around the division lead because Baltimore is winning but not playing well as I said earlier. We need to blow the team up after this season. Tomlin needs to go and heck he might want to leave. We will be bad for a couple years but maybe it’s worth it to get first round picks and start building a contender instead of adding aging free agents.

 

Every off season move has blown up in their face … it was a total Khan job.

 

Vs. Bills
Passing yards: 117
All WR Receptions - Metcalf
Pass Yards over 20 - Zero
Pass TD - Zero

Season - Metcalf 1 reception ahead of RB.
Aaron Rodgers Career Yards - 65038 (5th All Time)

Tom Brady, “Aaron Rodgers is the greatest passer of the football in the league history".

 

Key part is HISTORY!

I think I can see the fork in Rodgers from here.

 

You mean he doesn’t unlock any bonus money for 1.5 sacks??

 

The TJ Watt signing was bad. Being honest I didn’t think his fall of a cliff would be this drastic this quickly but he was clearly fading why would you do that?

I don’t think they really gave Cam anything so that’s a moot point.

Signing Rodgers was dumb the guy was washed 3 years ago. He played a little better than I thought to start the season but faded the way I assumed he would.

Trading Pickens and not replacing him with another WR was criminal especially after our situation last season with only having 1 WR.

Slay signing was terrible guy was once again over the hill and a waste of money. Healthy scratch yesterday.

But the biggest mistake of all was leaving MT in charge he should have been fired 5 plus years ago.

This Franchise is truly a dumpster fire from ownership down.

 

Yeah, I don’t care how good modern medicine is…a torn Achilles is a deathknell. Should have stayed far away from that … but hey these are some of the same bozos who brought in Trubisky.

I could have predicted the outcome of that one.

 

I know hindsight is always easier to make claims but many of us on a freaking message board called these things months before the season started. Unfortunately our Owner GM and HC couldn’t see the same.

 

it was probably a combination of the FA’s being past their prime and also not being put in the best position or scheme to maximize whatever talent they had left

 

I thought maybe Watt had a little more left thinking the ankle injury slowed him down at the end of last year, and once he got that new contract I thought he could have a bounce backs season. Garret has almost three times as many sacks that Watt has.

 

This
With this coaching staff
Brady couldn’t succeed
Horrible
Horrendous
Horrifying
Draft will be a joke
This coaching staff
Will run off talent

 

I wanted to trade Watt before his first big pay day. We would've got 2 first rounders for him.

but anyway.. I agree on most of this.

What I would've done.

Kept Pickens
Get a legit #2 WR
Kept Najee. I know, he is injured but I'm thinking it was a West Coast thing.
Traded Watt for 2 seconds and a 5th.
Heyward plays on the old deal or retires.
I'm fine with letting Minkah go. He was expensive and wasn't playing up to his contract.
I would have used that 3rd rounder on Sanders. I know, I know.. Dieon circus, blah blah blah.. but we already have a circus, at least the national media would maybe give Tomlin a reason to actually do his job with more press on his ass to play Sanders.
YahYah would be our NT day one.

and of course, I wouldn't have gone after AR. If not Sam Darnold I would've let Skyler Thompson start the year and see how the cards fall. Maybe none of this works but I wouldn't bring Mason back. Howard would also still be a nice insurance project.

as far as where to spend the money. Younger, hungrier players instead of expiring vets and dinged up vets.

I would've hired younger coaches to press the OC and DC with new concepts.

 

I think Darnold would be playing better than anything we've seen at quarterback since Roethlisberger, including what's left of Rodgers. I think Pickens did play very well in Pittsburgh and would have done even better with a good quarterback throwing to him and Metcalf on the opposite side making it more difficult for teams to double him. The offense hasn't had a viable No. 2, so your claim that wide receivers couildn't excel in it with a good quarterback is based in nonsense.

Funny how so many here want to dismiss Pickens for his attitude, but his bad-mouthing of the team after he was traded must be taken as gospel. Comical.