As Steelers fans, do we look too far ahead sometimes?
Welcome to my weekly edition of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation” a weekly column where I poke fun at fans, reporters, and so-called experts while trying to figure out if some of these hot takes are real – or just for attention.
During the dog days of Summer, when football news is far and few between, is it possible that we all look too far ahead into the future? I’ll go out on a limb and say yes, yes we do.
Reporters are just as guilty of this as fans. It seems to get worse as the temperatures outside get warmer, a correlation of not only the NFL had nothing going on – because we’re well beyond the free agency period and the draft – but also because the NBA and NHL seasons have concluded.
There’s literally a lack of sports which has all attention turn ahead to the upcoming NFL season. The keyword there is ahead. That means a lot of us, media and fans alike, are making predictions and speculating what might happen in the coming months.
However, do these predictions tend to leap too far ahead into time?
Predicting the next Super Bowl champion is one thing. That’s fun and there’s actual betting taking place as we speak. It’s also more of a general statement as to which teams have improved and who has a shot at winning it all.
On the flip side, mock drafts for next season are really jumping the shark. Not only do we have no idea how teams will place as to their draft order, we’re also making predictions as to team needs and which players will be available coming out of college. I find mock drafts any time before the season ends to be an eye-rolling experience. (But to each their own.)
Specifically geared toward the Steelers and their lack of news, we can find several stories that have manifested due to looking too far ahead this offseason as well.
One such story is Pittsburgh declining to pick up RB Najee Harris’ fifth-year option. The option, which would extend Harris’ contract into 2025 on his original first-round rookie tender, is being blown out of proportion. Many believe Harris will enter free agency and leave the Steelers, looking too far ahead beyond the training camp and postseason periods where GM Omar Khan could re-sign the back.
Another similar situation is that of long-time Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. The 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year enters a contract season in 2024 and could be searching for a new home in 2025. “Could be” is the keyword as the 35-year-old might bounce back to his previous high playing level following an injury-plagued 2023 season. Or he could ride off into the sunset, as many NFL players find themselves entering retirement by their mid-30s.
The Steelers quarterback situation is another prediction-filled storyline that has a finite amount of time attached to it. With current passers Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both under one-year contracts, there’s no guarantee that either player will be with the team next season.
However, some of the other predictions surrounding both players seem to be off the mark. I’ve seen everything from Wilson succeeding to failing to Fields being the long-term answer for the position that the Steelers have been seeking since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Simply stated, we do not know how it will work out and it’s unlikely that Mike Tomlin and company put all of their eggs in one basket before seeing results on the field.
Speaking of Big Ben, everyone was ready to put him out to pasture years ago too. The rumblings of a Roethlisberger retirement started after the Steelers loss in the AFC Championship game during the 2016 season. That carried over into 2017, with Roethlisberger continuing to make sly comments about “not having it anymore” or shying off any rumors of retirement.
The Internet was relentless in trying to replace Big Ben, creating mock drafts that had Pittsburgh selecting his successor in each season until he finally hung up his cleats.
That kind of conjecture is unhealthy for the team but is likely to continue, if not get worse, due to the sheer number of outlets for the media and NFL fans to voice their opinions. This offseason alone has seen the nonstop daily dose of Brandy Aiyuk news, despite there being no formal links between his current team, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We saw the same happen months ago with courting Russell Wilson, the saga of Kenny Pickett, and Tomlin’s contract extension. Each of those stories came and gone, but were looked at months ahead of time as people want the quarterback and head coaching situations settled.
Those headlines were finally put to rest, much like how the ones popping up now will eventually be forgotten as training camp rolls around later this month. For now, as the slow month of June creeps along, I encourage fans to have fun but also be careful with what “news” you get wrapped up in. Some of these stories aren’t worth the time and energy – so just stick to the Steelers winning the Super Bowl, for now!
