Until March 10th, anything you read about signings or trades is probably fake!
The corpse of the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Steelers season is barely cold and already we’re seeing many “stories” circulating the Internet. By now I’m sure you’ve seen that the Steelers are the “odds-on” favorite to land New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers or why the Atlanta Falcons should lift Kirk Cousins’ no-trade clause to send him to the Steel City.
It’s important to know that most of these stories are speculation at best this time of year, especially when the current NFL season isn’t over for many other teams. Players, such as Rodgers or Cousins, wouldn’t have their contracts expire until the new league year – and the free agency signing period – begins in March.
That’s if those players are available – Rodgers and Cousins are still under contract with their current teams. They would have to be released before free agency begins to be free to sign with any team of their choosing: much like what happened with Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos last offseason.
Speaking of Wilson – and Justin Fields or Kyle Allen – those players are also currently under contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers until the 2025 League Year begins on March 12, 2025. While they are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents and sign with any team.
They can re-sign with the Steelers at any point, before or after March 12th, but it’s unlikely we’ll hear anything on new deals for any of the above until we get closer to that date. (This differs from futures deals that were signed this week, from eligible players who were recently released from other practice squads and were not under any obligation to another team.)
First, the organization will iron out its plans for 2025, starting with its coaching staff and other front office personnel before that finalized group meets to formulate a potential roster for next season. Player agents may also hold out until they can officially talk with other teams during the legal tampering period, which begins March 10th. This allows the agent to do their diligence in finding the best offer for their client.
Even extensions of current contracts are seldom done during this period, at least traditionally with the Steelers. Pittsburgh has made a habit of waiting until training camp begins in July before working on these deals. They also do not discuss contracts once the regular season begins.
This isn’t a league rule: it’s how the Steelers have operated for an eternity, going back to Dan Rooney, who didn’t want distractions in-season. It’s how Art Rooney II continues to operate, as we saw with the extensions of Cameron Heyward and Pat Freiermuth this offseason. Those deals didn’t transpire until September, so don’t expect any news on players entering the final year of their current contracts, such as T.J. Watt or George Pickens, until then.
You may ask yourself, “Why is there so much news about signing ‘Player A’ then?” Well, there are several reasons. One is many “news” sites are often staffed with bloggers who must meet deadlines and quotas to be paid. Oftentimes they’ll dig up unconfirmed stories to satisfy these requirements.
If the source of the story seems suspicious, it likely is: “Trust me bro” isn’t a source.
Sometimes the discussions are to fill air time. Everyone from the NFL Network to our Steel City Underground Steelers Podcast is likely to discuss what might happen in the near future. After all, there isn’t much else to talk about when the team is done playing games until August.
Another reason you may see misinformation spread is for intentional gain and nefarious reasons. Some people like to be hot-take artists while others are farming clicks for advertising revenue and engagement to build their social media profiles – often to sell those profiles after gaining a lot of visibility, regardless of how reputable it is.
One way you can protect yourself from falling for these traps is to understand the league process and follow some official sites. I know you’re here at Steel City Underground thinking, “You’re not official” and that’s actually untrue! While we are an independent outlet, Steel City Underground, is also recognized as a media outlet by the NFL and Pittsburgh Steelers. As such, we strive to maintain the highest level of professionalism and integrity while providing quality opinions with the least amount of negativity possible.
Simply put, we don’t like to get caught up in the now-typical tabloid style of noise and nonsense! You also won’t see us attempting to break news or intentionally mislead our audience. (Being first to a story, especially as a kneejerk reaction, is a surefire way to be wrong most of the time!) This isn’t something we do as a hobby, for attention, or to make money by duping our followers.
If we do release a story, we’ll often cite official sources such as the NFL or the Pittsburgh Steelers. Speculative stories are often shared by NFL Insiders too and while they can be wrong, more weight should be given to reporters such as Ian Rapoport or Adam Schefter, as they are within those league circles and won’t sacrifice their reputation without corroborating their sources.
Steelers beat reporters are also worth checking in on. Local media that works in print and television such as Gerry Dulac, Mark Kaboly, Joe Rutter, Mike Prisuta, and a few others carry the same level of integrity as we aspire to, albeit with more direct access. DK Pittsburgh Sports also does an outstanding job as an online news platform, but beware of Bleacher Reports or even USA Today and Sports Illustrated branded sites, as those too can fall into the blog/quota category of speculative drivel.
We here at Steel City Underground appreciate your support and would never want to violate your trust. Thank you for joining us and again, be careful – it’s a rumor jungle out there!
