Listing The Steelers Best Offseason Moves By Year ('13-'23)

The Steelers have been shockingly involved more in the offseason this year compared to the past. A typically conservative front office is signing big names like Patrick Queen and Russell Wilson, trading for Justin Fields, trading away Kenny Pickett, and never-ending rumors of getting Brandon Aiyuk. The Khan Artist is in full effect with a seemingly new approach to how the Steelers are going after the offseason with their little postseason success over the past decade. The Steelers are being aggressive, but will it pay off? That remains to be seen, but what has been shown is already past us. With that being said and with the offseason over, let's look at the past ten years of Steelers offseason moves (trades, free agency moves, extensions, re-signings, draft picks, etc.) that made the fans happy and gave the best results to the franchise.

2013: Drafting Le'Veon Bell

Besides re-signing William Gay and Ramon Foster, not much transpired in the 2013 offseason. We acquired free agent Bruce Gradkowski, and that's about it. Exciting, am I right? But the draft would be an interesting one. When it hit, it was a knockout; when it missed, it was costly. The Steelers would draft Jarvis Jones in the first round; everyone knows how that went—names like DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Rhodes, Darius Slay, etc, were still available. However, the second round would be the proper pickup for Pittsburgh as they would acquire the Michigan State Spartan, Le'Veon Bell. You all know the story: five years with Pittsburgh being the best running back in the league arguably, but contract disputes and questions of Bell's loyalty and character led to him leaving to play for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In those final three years, Bell only proved that he'd never make it as a financial advisor as the Steelers matched the negotiations he wanted but left to play worse and make less. However, a reunion between the two has been rumored, but the rumors seem to be dying down. At least Le'Veon has backup plans, as he appears to be joining a website that sells fans only or something like that.

2014: Extending Troy Polamalu

There isn't a right or wrong answer to this offseason, as the Steelers were busy in 2014. They were drafting Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt, and Martavis Bryant, picking up Mike Mitchell in free agency, extending Heath Miller, Maurkice Pouncey, and Marcus Gilbert, and re-signing Brett Keisel and James Harrison. All these moves would work in Pittsburgh's favor. That said, I will go with the fan favorite in the 2-year extension for the Tasmanian devil and Hall of Famer, Troy Polamalu. While it wasn't a crazy contract, and Polamalu would only play one of the two years before retiring, having one of the greatest safeties and Steelers playing one more season was a good feeling. It wasn't a crazy season, and even an injury would hold down Polamalu. Still, it will be hard to understand how electric and exciting it was to see Polamalu send his team to Super Bowl 43, especially with younger fans.

2015: Extending Ben Roethlisberger

My goodness, what an underwhelming draft class 2015 brought. Bud Dupree and Jesse James are the most notable names. But the Steelers front office made many moves in re-signings and extensions. Names like Alejandro Villaneuva, Roosevelt Nix, James Harrison, Cameron Heyward, and Chris Boswell all got to be signed to Pittsburgh for another season or seasons. But Ben Roethlisberger was the key to unlocking the potential of every player in the locker room. Ben's next five years would be full of elite play but all upsetting endings, the most notable being a visit to the AFC Championship for the 2016 season. Five years go by with endless stats but no Lombardi. Ben was sometimes flawed, but the Steelers offense seemed more in sync whenever he played. It was a great last run from the most excellent Steelers QB ever.

2016: Extending David Decastro

This was another draft, and not many big names emerged, the most notable being Javon Hargrave. The offseason didn't have many big free-agent signings or trades, either. However, an extension to one of the best modern offensive guards in recent history is good. A 6-year, $58 million extension to be precise. Yes, kids, believe it or not, the Steelers used to have a great offensive line, and it was arguably the best in the league. Along with Maurkice Pouncey, Alejandro Villaneuva, Ramon Foster, Marcus Gilbert, and the Decastro, as mentioned above, these fatal five made it very difficult to touch the quarterback. Decastro was a big part of it, as he only allowed four sacks in five years before being released and, soon after, hung up the cleats.

2017: Drafting T.J Watt

I won't even look at anything else that happened in the 2017 offseason. No move in 2017 could've been better than drafting this freak of nature. All you have to do is look up "game-wrecker" in the dictionary, and you won't find anything because T.J. Watt sacked the person who wrote the dictionary. Watt is a true one-in-a-lifetime player, and if it wasn't for Patrick Mahomes being drafted in the same class, Watt would be the best player. And if you wish to discuss if any player is better from the draft, please mail me your complaints so that they will be treated with the utmost respect as they go through my paper shredder as I drink a gallon of your tears. Not much needs to be said about Watt; just look at his stats and how much the defense deteriorates without his presence. The Steelers are 1-10 without him, and that says enough right there.

2018: Extending Mike Hilton

Wow, this offseason was boring. The longest contract extension was given to the fullback Roosevelt Nix, Morgan Burnett was the best free agent signing, and the only player the Steelers traded for was Ryan Switzer. Oh, and every player drafted that year is no longer on the team. Mike Hilton was a solid corner, so seeing him get a one-year extension in the offseason was nice. For him, the 2018 season was underwhelming, though. Only one interception, a 93.3 QB rating when targeted, and seven pass breakups. The 2018 offseason was what it was like being the Cowboys today.

2019: Trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick

FINALLY! An excellent and notable trade for Pittsburgh! The 2019 season was basically the one scene from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Will Smith stood in the living room, but nothing was there anymore. Antonio Brown? Traded. Le'Veon Bell. Free agency. Marcus Gilbert? Traded. Jesse James? Free agency. Hotel? Trivago. Anyway, the Steelers were in trouble going into week three. Ben Roethlisberger just went down with a season-ending injury, the offense looked lost, and so did the defense. The Steelers needed a turn-around and quick. Enter Minkah Fitzpatrick. With one first-round pick for next year traded away to Miami later, the Steelers have their best safety since Troy Polamalu. Fitzpatrick instantly became a star and a fan-favorite in the Steel City with playmaking abilities that give Steeler fans a soft spot for the Miami Dolphins. It's been nothing but business for Fitzpatrick since then, with him being the best part of the Steelers secondary today. And I hope you enjoyed the talk of trades and signings because it's the last one on this list.

2020: Drafting Alex Highsmith

The Steelers' front office was back to its old ways, not making any notable trades or signings, but the draft was pretty good. With Bud Dupree leaving, the Steelers needed to consider getting another outside linebacker to complement T.J. Watt. Drafting Highsmith in the third round didn't have an immediate impact, but in his sophomore year, he was clearly the starter on the other side of the outside linebackers. And when Watt went down for half of 2022, Highsmith took over and scored 15 sacks as he had a DPOY type of season. And now, with Patrick Queen over the middle, this is the best linebacker core in the league.

2021: Drafting Najee Harris

In the final season under longtime GM Kevin Colbert, he wanted to make a splash in his finale. He drafted a tremendous tight end in Pat Freiermuth, who would've been listed had it not been for the first-round running back Najee Harris. Despite slow starts in the first half of his last two seasons, Harris still maintains 1,000+ yards every season since his rookie year. In a run game that was struggling before '21, Harris was a welcome addition to the offense as he has made himself well-known in the system. With the undrafted but equally impressive Jaylen Warren behind him, can Harris reach the next level and be one of the best, or is he just keeping Warren's starting seat warm for him? This season could be the answer!

2022: Drafting George Pickens

Man, I wish Kenny Pickett was better. However, with the experiment gone and best left forgotten, George Pickens has become the best receiver option for the approaching season. Pickens, with a competent quarterback throwing to him, has shown that he can be the #1 receiver the Steelers need, with the receiving room being scarce with the departure of Diontae Johnson. But can the Steelers find a good #2 receiver to compliment him? Constant rumors about Brandon Aiyuk coming to Pittsburgh are becoming the equivalent of Frank Ocean dropping an album or maybe Roman Wilson or Calvin Austin climbing the ranks. Pittsburgh knows their #1, but it would make fans comfortable if they find a true #2.

2023: Drafting Joey Porter Jr.

Is Broderick technically the better option? Yes. But think about what it took to select Porter. The Steelers traded Chase Claypool to Chicago for their second-round pick, and with the Bears being poor that season, the second-round pick turned into the first one of the second round. And the fact Claypool isn't even on the Bears anymore, and with the Dolphins pick getting negated in the first round, the pick basically turned into a first-round pick with the 32nd overall pick. There were two things the fans wanted the Steelers to fix in the draft. Offensive linemen and secondary. The Steelers proceeded to get both, and both positions are heading in the right direction.

And now, with the preseason kicking off with an L from the Texans, Justin Fields trending down with two fumbles, Kyle Allen trending up with 193 passing yards, 73% completed passes, and a touchdown, and the Steelers still unsure who will be their second receiver.

So what will be the best move of 2024? Well.... that's still to be determined. What we do know for now is Yinzers, Football is SO back!!