Last year, Darius Slay won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. This year, he’s a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who haven’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade. Slay is looking to change that.
“Just looking over the guys, Mike T [Tomlin] brought in some guys that’s like… been to that championship aspect before,” Slay said, per video from Steelers.com. “To bring that culture around guys that’s younger, you know they got a young group that’s coming in, got some very good young talent. And you got some guys that’s still trying to, you know, get them a Super Bowl.”
“We’re gonna try to bring that championship attitude, from what we had from other organizations, to over here, to be a part of this great organization.”
While this is a positive statement in a way, it does show how much the Steelers have fallen in recent years. They’re one of the most historically successful franchises in all sports, but they’ve turned into an annual first-round exit.
With the way the Steelers handled things this offseason, it seems they’re aware of that. This offseason has been unlike any other, and Slay is right that Pittsburgh aimed to bring in players with a championship pedigree. Aside from Slay, the Steelers brought in Jalen Ramsey, a First-Team All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams when they won the Super Bowl in 2021. Aaron Rodgers beat the Steelers in a Super Bowl many years ago and has a wealth of playoff experience himself.
Perhaps some of that desperation derives from the fact that some franchise players, like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, still haven’t won a Super Bowl. Slay made sure to allude to it, and it’s something Watt himself has confirmed is on his mind. Heyward’s seen some playoff success, but Watt hasn’t won a playoff game yet. The Steelers know they don’t have forever with these two, which may lead them to take drastic measures, in the shape of blockbuster trades and waiting multiple months for free agents.
Omar Khan deserves credit for building a team that could compete in 2025 while also building for the future. Pittsburgh has plenty of draft ammunition to trade up for a quarterback if they need to. Elsewhere, they’ve already selected their building blocks on the offensive line, at running back, and receiver.
The Steelers have a nice blend of youth and veterans. But they need some players with Super Bowl experience to seriously make that kind of run. After a busy offseason, they’ve now got much more, Darius Slay being one of them.
