Steelers OC Outlines Offensive Identity After Adding Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf
The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers offense is set to look drastically different from the one that took the field in 2024.
Following another season of a solid record and a wild-card round playoff exit, head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers’ front office decided to make significant changes to the offensive unit. Mission accomplished—whether for better or worse. The team made waves by trading for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf in early March, adding a premier deep threat to the lineup. They followed that by trading wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys weeks later. In a surprising move, the Steelers also let running back Najee Harris walk in free agency, with Harris signing with the Los Angeles Chargers, paving the way for Jaylen Warren to take over as the primary RB1. Rookie Kaleb Johnson, a product of Iowa, also joins the backfield.
Of course, the most significant move was the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers, who was signed as the team’s new quarterback after weeks of speculation.
After being one of the NFL’s most run-heavy offenses in 2024 (ranking fifth in the league with 48% run plays, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), offensive coordinator Arthur Smith made it clear that the Steelers’ offensive approach will evolve under Rodgers and Metcalf.
“Obviously, we didn’t bring Aaron in here and sign DK for all that money to go run the wishbone,” Smith said last week, according to the Post-Gazette. “You play to the strengths of your team.”
Smith emphasized that every year is a new opportunity to adapt, saying, “A lot of times, rosters are shaped by offseason moves, free agency, and the draft. I’ve worked with a lot of different quarterbacks with varying skill sets. Your job as a coach is to adapt and play to the strengths of your players.”
The personnel in Pittsburgh this season is much different than in 2024. Early last year, with a mobile Justin Fields under center, the offense was built around a strong run game. That shifted when Russell Wilson, who was less mobile than in his prime, took over midway through the season, and the offense ultimately stalled after a promising start.
Now, with one of the NFL’s greatest deep-ball passers in Rodgers at quarterback and one of the league’s fastest and most physical downfield threats in Metcalf on the outside, the Steelers’ offense is poised for a much more aerial approach. Whether this strategy will pay off remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the Rodgers-led offense will be a completely different animal compared to the run-heavy schemes led by Fields and Wilson in 2024.
Leave a Reply