Wallace and Smith-Schuster were declining in their final years with the Steelers before going to new teams. Wallace's yards per game dropped from 74.6 in 2011 to 55.7 in 2012, then he signed with the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2013 season.

Following the George Pickens trade, insider Jeremy Fowler reported the Steelers are hopeful Roman Wilson will step up in Year 2.

The Steelers will get a third-round pick in the 2026 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2027 for Pickens. The Cowboys get a sixth-round choice in two years

However, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Steelers weren't completely convinced that drafting Sanders would be the best course for their future. "The Steelers were comfortable with Shedeur Sanders as a distributing point guard type,

The Pittsburgh Steelers could've had Shedeur Sanders. Some linked the Colorado QB to the No. 21 overall pick. Others assumed Pittsburgh would take him at some point as he slid down the board. The reality,

Recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines when they did not take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft, instead letting him fall to the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers ultimately drafted Will Howard but still don’t have a clear answer at quarterback for 2025,