The Pittsburgh Steelers have a ton of questions to answer about their roster heading into 2026, as there is a lot of aging players that could easily be cut, traded, or allowed to walk in free agency. New head coach Mike McCarthy will have a lot to figure out in his first month or so with this lineup. A lot of it also hinges on if Aaron Rodgers returns or not on the offensive side of the ball, as he definitely prefers the older guys as opposed to those on their rookie contracts.
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New Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy next to quarterback Aaron Rodgers during their days together in Green Bay.
During his weekly Q&A chat, insider Ray Fittipaldo was asked about one pending free agent in particular, but not just any player: the MVP of the Steelers in 2025.
"I think [Kenneth Gainwell] will have some suitors, but the Steelers have the edge because they can negotiate with him before free agency begins. I think he is one of their top priorities."
Running back Kenneth Gainwell went from a guy that was projected to be a pure special teamer and third-string running back in the 2025 offseason, to being the single-most important player on the team. He has garnered all kinds of praise from everyone on the team all throughout the season, including Rodgers. Now, he has earned a massive pay raise from his previous deal that was almost the veteran minimum.
Despite being the backup running back on the depth chart, nothing stopped Gainwell from showing off his skill set. He led the team in receptions with 73, and he racked up over 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season. He also has 633 return yards from kickoffs in his lone season in Pittsburgh so far. He did all that while playing 50% of snaps on offense and 32% on special teams.
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Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell runs behind Darnell Washington during a Week 4 game in the 2025 season in Dublin, Ireland.
After the season that he had, there is no doubt that Gainwell will have some offers to play elsewhere. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans could benefit from a dynamic dual-threat running back like him. While Pittsburgh can offer him a deal first, he might have the opportunity to hold out until free agency and see what other teams are willing to offer him at this point, and if he can be a starter or not.
In Pittsburgh, he was pretty much the 1B to Jaylen Warren, who was the 1A and primary rusher on the team. If he sticks around for another season, that sort of dynamic will likely be the same. Of course, this will be a new offensive system with McCarthy, so there will be a lot more rotation and less multi-running back / multi-tight end sets for the team. 11 personnel will be the primary set for a while to come.
Steelers Keeping Gainwell Severely Hurts Another Player
If the Steelers do re-sign Gainwell, they might be better off trading away Kaleb Johnson. He barely got any opportunities in 2025 and having him with Warren back in 2026 will mean he will continue to barely see any playing time, let alone quality reps in the first three quarters. If it's a multi-year deal for the team MVP, 2027 could be a wash as well. Johnson deserves a chance, which he may not get in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Johnson had a kickoff blunder back in Week 2 in his rookie season, and ever since then, he has barely seen the field in any capacity, and he was even a healthy scratch for many games. He had just 51 offensive snaps and 11 reps on special teams in his rookie season. If Warren and Gainwell are both back in 2026, those numbers will not get much higher for Johnson.
What do you think about the Steelers prioritizing Gainwell before free agency? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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