Michael Pittman's move to Pittsburgh means a new home, a new uniform and a new quarterback for him to learn.
The quarterback part of the equation might take some time. Aaron Rodgers has yet to re-sign with the Steelers, leaving out the linchpin of the offense as the calendar creeps toward April.
Pittman isn't in a hurry and also isn't interested in badgering the future Pro Football Hall of Famer. As the new addition sees it, the Steelers can work through the offseason just fine with the two quarterbacks on the roster: veteran Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.
"I don't know nothing. I haven't talked to Aaron," Pittman said . "I'm trying to give him space because Aaron's a guy, he likes his space, he likes to get refreshed. I didn't want to just get signed and then blow him up and be like, 'Hey Aaron, what's the deal?' But just give him time. Him and his wife, they've got to handle some things and then he will decide if he wants to come back or not.
"But the fact that he's still out doing flag football stuff and all that… I think that he wants to play. Just knowing Aaron prior to this, I just think he's gonna try and play as long as he can."
Rodgers enjoyed a bounce back season in 2025, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards and a 24-7 TD-INT ratio while helping the Steelers win the AFC North in 2025. Despite struggles in a lopsided loss to the Houston Texans on Wild Card Weekend, the 42-year-old represents the Steelers' best option under center entering the 2026 season.
They just might have to wait longer than usual before they're guaranteed Rodgers' participation in 2026.
"I think they're gonna give him the most time that he needs, but at the end of the day, we also have two other quarterbacks on roster that I think are great guys, too, in Will (Howard) and Mason (Rudolph)," Pittman said. "So we have really good plans whether he doesn't come back or whether he does, and we can rock with the guys we have now, obviously hoping that he comes back."
Understanding they needed to upgrade at receiver, the Steelers executed a trade for Pittman at the start of the new league year, acquiring the six-year veteran and a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round selection. Pittman joined a receiving corps headlined by big-bodied playmaker DK Metcalf with the expectation he'd form a viable tandem with Metcalf and equip Rodgers -- or whoever else lines up under center -- with two dependable receivers.
"I think it's great because I know that he's a real chippy guy, too," Pittman said of Metcalf. "Just knowing that he plays with that edge, that just gets me fired up because I love to get into stuff. Just with his style of play and his explosiveness and everything, he can pop the top off the defense and he'll just lift coverage, almost the same way that (Colts receiver) Alec (Pierce) did. I feel like there are similarities between Alec and DK."
The addition of Pittman was a necessity. With new coach Mike McCarthy expected to implement an offense than relies on the pass more than the previous Mike Tomlin-led regime did, Pittsburgh required another threat lining up outside, especially after running back Kenneth Gainwell and tight end Pat Freiermuth tied for second in receiving yards for the Steelers last season.
After a respectable tenure in Indianapolis -- where the Colts cycled through quarterbacks for most of Pittman's time there -- Pittman is understandably excited for the opportunity to play for McCarthy.
"(Mike McCarthy) just talked about diversifying it more because obviously in Indy, my role in Indy was more that short, intermediate game. I always felt like every single game I was like, 'I can do more,'" Pittman told Adams. "I would leave games frustrated because I always felt like I had more to offer the team. Just kind of going over that with (McCarthy) and telling him everything I can do and him kind of seeing that and expanding my role and my route tree back to what it was maybe in Year 2 or 3. I'm really just looking forward to that. I don't want to give up the secret sauce, but having the ability to move around a little bit."
With Metcalf and Pittman in the lineup, McCarthy will have more tools to utilize. Eventually, he might also welcome the person in charge of throwing passes to them, too, a familiar face McCarthy knows quite well from their 13 seasons spent together in Green Bay.
Pittman, meanwhile, is just ready to play for his new team.
"Like I said, I would love Aaron to come back," Pittman said. "But honestly, whoever the Steelers pick is the perfect quarterback for me. What I'm looking for is just a quarterback who throws me the football, so I'm pretty easy when it comes to that."
