The NFL’s legal tampering period is just around the corner on March 9, but the Steelers have yet to re-sign any of their players set to hit the open market. It’s a near-guarantee some will return in the coming days, but there might not be as much mutual interest between Pittsburgh and its free agents as many thought.
However, it’s likely that many of the team’s top pending free agents are interested in testing the market before agreeing to a potential return to Pittsburgh. How they compare to other
players at their position group in this year’s free agent class could make millions of dollars worth of a difference.
With that in mind, I figured I’d take a look at how the Steelers’ 2026 free agents are regarded on some of the major top free agent lists entering the new league year:
Isaac Seumalo (Average rank: 24; NFL.com OG4; ESPN OG1; PFF OG1)
A good portion of the Steelers fanbase seems to be ready to move on from Seumalo. That could be both good and bad.
On one hand, Seumalo ranks incredibly high among free agent guards in this year’s class — it won’t be easy to replace him with a lineman of similar caliber. However, if NFL teams truly see Seumalo as a top-three guard available, you could just as easily argue it wouldn’t be worth it to pay high-end money for a player who was solid but unspectacular as a starter in 2025.
Aaron Rodgers (Average rank: 43; NFL.com QB4; ESPN QB3; PFF QB3)
For most, Rodgers ranks below Malik Willis and Kyler Murray in the quarterback market, fitting in the same tier as Kirk Cousins and Geno Smith. It also remains to be seen what teams Rodgers is even interested in suiting up for in 2026.
A strong argument could be made for Rodgers still being a top-32 quarterback in the NFL. But in this stage of his career, he’s not an ideal starter anymore.
Kenneth Gainwell (Average rank: 58; NFL.com RB3; ESPN RB4; PFF RB8)
The national media seems to be buying into Gainwell’s 2025 breakout season, ranking him high in a fairly strong 2026 free agent running back class. While Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne are the unquestioned RB1-2, Gainwell’s receiving upside and recent productivity measures up well against names such as Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle, and Rachaad White.
Even if the NFL sees Gainwell as the third-best running back option this offseason, that doesn’t guarantee him a big contract or an even a shot at a true RB1 gig. The Steelers still have fairly good odds of keeping him around.
Outside the consensus top 100
- WR Calvin Austin III (WR10 per NFL.com, WR16 for PFF)
- CB James Pierre (CB15 for PFF)
- S Jabrill Peppers (S3 for PFF)
- S Chuck Clark (S15 for PFF)
- S Kyle Dugger (S24 for PFF)
- LB Cole Holcomb (LB24 for PFF)
Here’s where PFF grades can get a little funky. Peppers was great against the run in his limited snaps in 2025, but not many would have him as the third-best safety on the free agent market.
Pierre might be the biggest question mark of this group. His numbers were elite in 2025 across 14 games played and five starts, but he had a late-career breakout and is 29 years old. With a limited sample size and already inching up on age 30, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of market he draws.
