The Pittsburgh Steelers have completely revamped their offense this offseason, moving on from Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, George Pickens and Najee Harris while bringing in Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf and Kaleb Johnson.
They’re hoping that this new group of talented players will keep them from melting down, blowing a late division lead and getting knocked out of the postseason before the divisional round like last year.
Despite all of the changes, Pittsburgh should still be looking for ways to improve their roster before the team reports back for training camp on July 23 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
One position that the Steelers could still upgrade is tight end, with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward and undrafted rookie JJ Galbreath filling out the room.
On Thursday, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin suggested that Pittsburgh should pull off a trade to add another tight end, specifically calling for the team to acquire Noah Fant from the Seattle Seahawks.
“Even after securing Metcalf as their new No. 1 wideout, the Steelers have reportedly been sniffing around for pass catchers, in part to replace the gifted but volatile Pickens,” Benjamin wrote. “And Fant — more so than, say, the Atlanta Falcons’ Kyle Pitts — would seem to be readily available in Seattle. The Seahawks spent a second-round draft pick on fellow tight end Elijah Arroyo, whose athleticism could quickly vault him into a starting role, and trading Fant would save the team close to $9 million in 2025, the last year of the veteran’s deal. As a bonus, Fant previously spent three years working alongside current Steelers assistant Zach Azzanni in Denver.”
Fant, 27, was originally a first-round pick (No. 20 overall) of the Denver Broncos following a collegiate career at Iowa, where he earned All-Big Ten honors twice. With Denver, Fant appeared in 47 games over three years, catching 170 passes for 1,905 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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In 2022, Fant was included in a trade package to the Seahawks for former Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson. Over the last three years, he’s recorded 130 receptions for 1,400 yards and five touchdowns in 48 games.
Fant’s under contract for just one more season with a $13.41 million cap hit, but a team acquiring him would only be responsible for his $8.49 million base salary and $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses.
While Freiermuth is a strong starting tight end, adding Fant could help take the offense to another level, especially if offensive coordinator Arthur Smith can deploy them both at the same time in 2025.
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