The Jig Is Up: Steelers Offseason, Vol. 10, The Waiting Game
Recently I was thinking about my time writing about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout my career doing so, I’ve essentially done it all.
Commentary, news, breaking stories, features and even took a stab at simple film room breakdowns.
The one thing I’ve never done is work on just a random thought type format.
I can’t speak for you, the reader, but I am always thinking about writing and the Steelers. Thinking about different aspects of the team and game. Thanks to reading Myron Cope’s biography I decided to put a unique spin on this type of feature.
Now, for the name of the article, anyone who is familiar with the Styx song “Renegade” should know where it came from. If not, this is where it came from…
The jig is up, the news is out
They finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty
Nevermore to go astray
This’ll be the end today of the wanted man
The jig is up…time for some randomness.
Enough Change?
At the end of last season both Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II went in front of the media and told the fan base how change was inevitable, and incoming. Well, what changes have we seen so far?
Two coaches departed due to contract extensions.
When there weren’t any drastic changes in the coaching staff, many thought the majority of the change would come in player acquisition. After all, the team did have an incredible amount of salary cap space to work with.
We’ve seen a lot of acquisitions, most of the minor variety, with maybe the trade for DK Metcalf being the lone major change in the philosophy of player acquisition. All in all, was this enough change? Was this enough to somehow quell the rage of the fan base? I can only speak for myself, and I’d say the biggest change I wanted to see wasn’t in the player acquisition, but in the coaching staff. So, for me, it wasn’t enough.
Weak Point?
The Steelers roster is starting to take shape before the 2025 NFL Draft, and there are certainly areas of the team which raise questions heading into 2025. Most fans would suggest the quarterback position is the weakest point of the roster, but for me there is one which trumps the other. That would be the offensive line.
Will Troy Fautanu be the stud right tackle we hoped we’d see in 2024?
Will Broderick Jones moving to left tackle be better than what we saw when he played right tackle?
Isaac Seumalo is coming off a mediocre 2024, can he rebound in a contract year?
Is Mason McCormick the answer at right guard?
The only question I don’t have along the offensive line is at center with Zach Frazier.
That’s a lot of questions for the offensive line, whoever they’ll be blocking for in 2025.
Re-seeding? Yes, please.
It was recently proposed by the Detroit Lions that the NFL Playoffs would be re-seeded, regardless of if you won your division or not. When we talked about that on the Steelers Preview podcast, Bryan Davis and I disagreed on this subject. I was all for re-seeding, while Bryan suggested things stay the same, keeping value in winning your division.
My theory was should an NFC South winning team, who barely gets to 9 wins, be given a home game over a 14 win team in a tougher division?
Bryan suggested other games might not carry the same meaning if this re-seeding would take place, but I disagreed suggesting other games will be meaningful based on their own seeding. Example: Last season the Vikings vs. Lions game in Week 18 was for not just playoff seeding, but the No. 1 seed and the NFC bye. While that game will still carry meaning, the Philadelphia Eagles wouldn’t have been able to rest their players in Week 18, because their overall seeding wouldn’t have been decided.
Just my thoughts on the subject…
How long is this waiting game?
Another week in the books and Aaron Rodgers has yet to make a decision about his plans for 2025. I’m fine with waiting, but I do have to wonder how long will this waiting game last? Will the Steelers wait until the NFL Draft if Rodgers is still mulling around his options? I’m curious just how long this waiting game will last…
I don’t blame Cam
Recently, on Cam Heyward’s podcast, he was asked about recruiting players to the Steelers, something he openly did when trying to bring Russell Wilson to the Steelers last offseason. When asked if he was reaching out to players this offseason, his response was simple.
You either want to be a member of the Steelers, or not. Check out the video:
#Steelers DT Cam Heyward on recruiting Aaron Rodgers: “I ain’t doing that darkness retreat. I don’t need any of that crap. Either you want to be a Steeler or you don’t. It’s simple. That’s the pitch.”
(via @NotJustFootball) pic.twitter.com/TRlISFXAtl
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 18, 2025
I don’t blame Heyward for taking such a stance. It has to be annoying for players, just like fans, to experience such a waiting game for another player. It is probably equally as exhausting for players on the team, it not more frustrating.
Najee’s Comments
This past week some of the biggest news coming with the Steelers didn’t come from a current member of the Steelers, but a player who left via Free Agency. And I’m not shocked it happened.
When Najee Harris got in front of a microphone for the Los Angeles Chargers, he didn’t hesitate to throw his former employer and teammates under the bus. It started with the facility. Harris talked about previous visits in the NFL, but anyone who knows his playing history knows he only played for one other team.
Here is what he said:
Najee Harris essentially said the Steelers facility is trash. 😂 #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/ZstU0AeWa7
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) March 14, 2025
Most recently, in a one-on-one with the Chargers media team, Harris talked about the offense with the Steelers. Check out that video:
Najee Harris on the Steelers offense:
“We just didn’t know anything on offense really. We didn’t have any identity. We had a young guy coming in at QB. I really didn’t have nobody to almost learn from on the offensive side.”#steelers
🎥YT/ kcal News pic.twitter.com/DCqN6fQ33S
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) March 20, 2025
I knew Harris would play these cards wherever he went, and in the second video he isn’t wrong. After Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, Harris and the offense felt like a rudderless ship with no one at the wheel. What might be forgotten was how Harris was a one-and-done captain on the offense which he said “didn’t know anything”.
Player Spotlight
I wanted to start doing a spotlight segment every week during the offseason of a lesser known player who donned the black-and-gold for a time.
This week’s player: Nate Washington
Washington went undrafted out of Tiffin in 2005, and became the first Tiffin University player in the modern era to play in the NFL.
He was the Steelers’ slot receiver throughout the 2006 season, and started two games after injuries to Hines Ward.
A restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, Washington resigned a one-year, $1.417 million tender offer on April 16, 2008. In Super Bowl XLIII, Washington had one catch for 11 yards on his way to winning his second career Super Bowl ring with the Steelers (Super Bowls XL and XLIII).
Washington left Pittsburgh as a free agent signed a six-year, $27 million deal with the Tennessee Titans on March 2, 2009. He stayed with the Titans until the 2014 season. He then signed a one-year contract with the Houston Texans for the 2015 season. In 2016 he was signed by the New England Patriots, but didn’t make the team. He never played in the NFL again.
From going undrafted out of Tiffin to two-time Super Bowl champion, Washington had quite the career, which all started with the black-and-gold.
That does it…the jig is up, they’ve finally found me. This renegade is outta here…be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the offseason.
Love all the points you bring up.
When it comes to re-seeding, I’m completely with you. Having a perennial just above or below .500 team be the 4th seed just doesn’t make sense to me.
As for Najee’s comments, its public knowledge that the Acrisure team facilities are subpar, so much ado about nothing there. As for the second video, he does bring up some good points. He was unfortunately drafted at the time where the meltdown had already begun, but I can say that I don’t think many of the players felt comfortable during those times (Canada).
Najee was a bad pick by a team trying to do whatever they could do squeeze out every last ounce of BR7’s career.
It didn’t work, and his talents were wasted.
I want to tank the season. We have endured decades of tanking via the Pirates. The Pens are entering a long stint in darkness as well. I’ll focus on golf and dream of a Manning at qb for the Steelers.
Najee in my opinion has been pretty mediocre. I’m not sure if what I saw was him being injured or him taking plays off but it didn’t look like to me he always ran hard like Warren does. He also had a crummy line but so did Warren. Fast guys who can juke and jive are easier to come by than good offensive lineman
I am not a fan of tanking for two reasons. First, about half of the “franchise” QBs coming out of college fail to live up to their expectations. Hence, 50% of intentional tankings fail. Second, a lot of the NFL’s current franchise QBs weren’t high picks. Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Jaylen Hurts, Russell Wilson, and Brock Purdy, weren’t highly regarded in their class. Even Bo Nix at pick 12 would be in play for the Steelers if they wanted to trade up like they did for Devin Bush. Point being that QBs absolutely can be had without a tank.
I am not saying that this is you, but I fear that a lot of Steeler fans don’t comprehend how awful tanking would be. Not having meaningful football by Thanksgiving would be terrible. I know that the Steelers need to find some success in the playoffs but getting to the playoffs to begin with is enjoyable too. After all, a “win your in, lose your out” game in December is playoff-like as well. I wouldn’t want to find something to do on a Sunday afternoon because the Steelers are playing out the string and not worth watching. That’s what tanking gets you. Heck, it can be said that the Browns, Jets, Bears, Cardinals and others have been tanking for decades. What’s that got them?
I don’t think there’s any real basis for criticizing Najee Harris, whose talents largely were wasted in Pittsburgh — first with a franchise QB sliding towards retirement, then by a patchwork OL and a succession of musical-chair QBs —plus offensive coaches who never understood how to utilize Najee in the first place.
I have a feeling his production with the Chargers is going to explode by comparison, so Steelers fans can look forward to watching Najee running roughshod over Pittsburgh’s defense one of these days. What a total waste of one of the league’s best RBs. And that’s actually the biggest problem with the Steelers organization — failing to put their best players in positions to succeed.
I agree that there hasn’t been enough change–two coaches with expiring contracts let go, but one coach (Meyer) whose unit has underperformed for years now–retained.
Re-Seeding–Yes with a caveat, a division winner with the same record as a wild card entry would receive the home game, even if the wild card winner had a better conference record or whatever is usually the tie breaker when it comes to seeding.
The waiting game goes on until the Aaron makes a choice or the Steelers say thanks, but no thanks.
Cam can say whatever Cam wants to say.
Najee’s not wrong.
Nate Washington–another WR who was fun to root for and has Ben to thank for many of his career earnings.
How has Pat Meyer underperformed, though? He has a potential All-Pro at center. Troy Fautanu had a great camp and was slated to start as rookie until he got hurt. Isaac Seumalo made the Pro Bowl this year. Say what you will but Dan Moore Jr. but he managed to play well enough to get a monster deal with another team.
Really, Pat Meyer’s only wart is Broderick Jones but, given Meyer’s success with the other players, I have to think that Jones’ failing are more his than anything Pat Meyer is or isn’t doing.