The Steelers have a new star.
With 50 rushing yards, 78 receiving yards, and an unbelievable touchdown against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Pittsburgh running back Kenneth Gainwell further established himself as one of the most important players on the Steelers’ offense.
He’s been a steal, too, playing on a one-year, $1.79 million contract he signed as a free agent over the 2025 offseason. However, that contract will run out after this season.
After extending Jaylen Warren over the summer and drafting
running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 draft, most expected Gainwell to play a smaller role in the Steelers offense. However, his play has matched Warren’s dynamic ability and kept Johnson off the field. Suddenly, Gainwell has become one of the Steelers’ top priorities to re-sign in 2026.
Should the Steelers re-sign Kenneth Gainwell?
For all the reasons above and more (Gainwell has 911 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns with two games left), this should be a no-brainer. Jaylen Warren’s cap hit in 2026 will be just over $7 million, meaning the Steelers will still have plenty of funds to spare to invest in the offense.
Would it limit Kaleb Johnson’s development? Possibly. But it’s not a good reason to not bring back one of the team’s top players — and the Steelers would still be just an injury away from having to rely on Johnson in their running back rotation.
The real question then becomes: how much would/should a Gainwell extension cost?
Still just 26 years old, Gainwell still has plenty of upside and will be searching for his first big NFL payday. However, given the volatile state of the position and the general market at running back, the expectations for his contract length or yearly salary won’t be shockingly high.
For comparable salaries, Warren’s wouldn’t be too far off — the then-26-year-old signed a two-year, $11.9 million extension over the offseason after 821 scrimmage yards in 2024 (and an expected larger role in the following season). Another Steelers link, Najee Harris, earned a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Chargers this offseason after 1,326 scrimmage yards in 2024 and six touchdowns.
Two to three years and a $4-6 million average seems to make sense for Gainwell this offseason. It’s not that big of a risk, and the running back would be wise to stay in Pittsburgh, where he’s carved out a role that has put him in line for a payday in Arthur Smith’s offense.
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