Welcome to the final day of 2024. The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the new year looking to turn around their season, losers of three straight. But locked into a playoff spot, they’ll have a chance to break their long-standing drought come Wild Card weekend. Instead of looking ahead, let’s look back at the five storylines that defined the Steelers in 2024.
And then look forward at five to watch in 2025.
These are listed in no particular order.
Five Biggest 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers Storylines
1. Russell Wilson In, Kenny Pickett Out, And Mike Tomlin’s Pivot
An entirely revamped quarterback room could apply here but signing Kyle Allen and cutting Mitch Trubisky just doesn’t hit in the same way. Wilson and Pickett were the first big dominoes in this offseason of change at sports’ most important position.
Wilson’s signing led to Pickett’s trade request as the entire quarterback room was ultimately swapped out. Wilson’s nagging calf injuries became the topic throughout training camp and the start of the season, an aggravation days before Week 1 that pressed Justin Fields into the starting lineup. Though Fields held his own and led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start, Mike Tomlin switched to Wilson for Week 7. He called it following the depth chart. The national media called it crazy.
Despite Wilson and the team’s late-season struggles, Tomlin has largely been vindicated. Wilson proved to be a better passer capable of leading the Steelers’ offense to more points, highlighted in a 44-38 Week 13 win over Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals.
In the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers have turned over every stone to find a quarterback. Wilson’s been the closest thing to an answer.
2. Cam Heyward’s Resurgence
Heyward’s contract extension days before the regular season had many wrinkling their noses and clutching their pearls. Paying a 35-year-old interior lineman coming off an injury-marred 2024 good money was perceived as charity, not merit. But Pittsburgh’s gamble has paid off. Not only did Heyward bounce back into form, 2024 was one of his best seasons this decade. It’s not hyperbole to claim his campaign is one of the best ever by a defensive tackle his age.
He’s still searching for playoff success, but this season might have cemented a spot for him in the Hall of Fame. He’s shown no signs of stopping yet.
3. Chris Boswell’s Historical Season
Make no mistake. It’s no stretch to call it that – historical. Boswell was often the Steelers’ best, and sometimes only, source of offense. Twice, he was responsible for all 18 of Pittsburgh’s points in a win, kicking six field goals to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener and again in a Week 11 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. He could end the season named team MVP. It’s deserved.
With one game to go, Boswell is already just the fourth NFL kicker to ever make 40 field goals in a season. He still has an outside chance at tying David Akers’ record of 44, too. Many of Boz’s kicks weren’t gimmes either. He hit a team-record 12 from 50-plus with his only misses either being blocked or coming from ultra-deep range. He’s made 93 percent of his tries this year, a remarkable season even in this gilded era of kickers.
4. Everything George Pickens, Everything Else WR Rumors
A two-parter here. There may have never been so much bark for as little bite as there was this winter, spring, summer, and fall over if Pittsburgh would make a play for a big-name wide receiver. Brandon Aiyuk’s storyline dragged on longer than Days Of Our Lives only to end with an unsatisfying conclusion; he re-signed with the 49ers.
Reporters reported. Speculators speculated. Twitter Dog Avatars had us on the edge of our seats. They weren’t pretty times.
Aiyuk was far from the only possibility. Davante Adams, Courtland Sutton, Terry McLaurin, Christian Kirk, you can hum their names like the 50 States Song. Ultimately, none of those players landed in Pittsburgh. The Steelers instead settled on trading for New York Jets WR Mike Williams. Kinda like how Charlie Brown got a rock on Halloween.
The Pickens’ saga never stops. Sometimes pumped up by the media, sometimes truly of Pickens’ own making, he gathers more attention than anyone else. As likely to show his frustration as make jaw-dropping, one-handed grabs, Pickens pouted, pushed, pulled down, and prodded defenders throughout the season.
Finding the end zone as often as he did the NFL’s fine list, he’s had to have amassed over $300,000 in infractions from the team and the league over his first two seasons. With questions about route running and effort, it’s still unclear how firmly he is etched into the team’s long-term plans. Just know that when Pittsburgh loses, a Pickens’ storyline is waiting on the other side.
Even during his three-game absence, Pickens’ value to the team as its best offensive threat became more obvious than ever.
5. This Three-Game Bender
This season can’t be written without acknowledging how the team is finishing the calendar year. Sitting pretty at 10-3 in mid-month, the Steelers dove into a December depression. Beat up by the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh lost the foothold on the AFC North it controlled for virtually the entire season.
Poised to finish the year as the road team come the Wild Card round, Pittsburgh is limping to the finish line and just trying to avoid a quick exit. Defensive breakdowns that had players openly venting their frustration at each other, a rare sight for a veteran-led defense, has them as rudderless as any point in the year.
Honorable Mentions: Minkah Fitzpatrick’s INT-less Streak (that finally ended), Pittsburgh Appears On Hard Knocks, City Wins Bid To Host 2026 NFL Draft, OC Search/Arthur Smith’s Hiring
Five 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers Storylines To Watch
1. How Pittsburgh Finishes
From a pure calendar standpoint, the Steelers’ season will be wrapped up in 2025. Can they find themselves and right the ship at the last second? Another playoff loss extends the franchise’s drought to an eighth season and furthers the angst inside the building and among the fan base. Combine that with 2024’s losing streak, and the Steelers could enter a long offseason with a sour taste in their mouth.
2. George Pickens’ Summer Contract Talks
Get ready for the summer of George. If you thought we talked about Pickens a lot in 2024, prepare to crank the dial to 11 in 2025. Itching for a contract in a sexy receiver market handed paydays like Oprah gives cars, Pickens has a case for the Steelers to show him the money. His talent is immense, his value to the team chart-topping. If Pittsburgh won’t pay him, someone else will.
Eligible for an extension for the first time and free agent post-2025, all eyes will be on the lengths Pickens and his camp will go to secure it. Brandon Aiyuk’s pot stirring is an awfully enticing playbook to follow. Skipping OTAs, holding in at training camp, and who knows what’ll happen on social media. Let the buzz begin. Buckle up.
3. Biggest First-Round Need?
Impossible to predict and has a wide array of options. Wide receiver is a possibility even if Pittsburgh typically fishes in Day 2 ponds. Cornerback is seemingly always high on the Steelers’ list. A defensive lineman to replace Larry Ogunjobi now, Cam Heyward later has to enter the conversation.
If Najee Harris departs, running back becomes a need. That’s less likely to occur in the top 32 but if any team is going to do it, it’s Pittsburgh. Free agency moves will dictate plenty but the Steelers’ face of the 2025 class could come from a variety of positions.
4. Is There More Free Agency Splash?
Pittsburgh splashed into free agency waters in 2024 by signing LB Patrick Queen to a record-setting deal for an outside FA. More attention will be paid attention to the Steelers’ own pending free agents than a year ago when the group was “led” by QB Mason Rudolph, DL Armon Watts, and S Miles Killebrew.
Still, it’s proof Pittsburgh will spend good money to land a top talent. Could they do so twice? WR Tee Higgins will be the apple of Steelers fans’ eyes. They’ll join 31 other franchises. A top-flight corner would be hard to ignore, too. With the salary cap going up and contracts flexible, the Steelers may keep looking to add to bolster their roster. Smart or not, they’re always in win-now mode.
5. Who Is QB1?
Of course, 2025 can’t go by without a quarterback mention. Russell Wilson is the favorite to be Pittsburgh’s starter next season but that’s not etched in stone. Determining his market value, which could plausibly range anywhere from $30-45 million per season, will be the talking point. Getting the structure right for a 36-year-old quarterback is critical, too.
If Wilson leaves, then what? Does Pittsburgh pivot to Justin Fields? Or will it be another year of an outsider option, even if quarterback options in free agency and the draft are sparse. It’ll be the first and most pressing question Pittsburgh will ask and answer come March.
Honorable Mentions: Young O-Line Development, Possible Coaching Changes, Aging Steelers Defense, Potential T.J. Watt Contract Extension
