Jaylen Warren is staying in Pittsburgh. Previously slated to hit free agency after the 2025 season, the Steelers signed him to a two-year extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2027. The deal is deserved but arguably unexpected. Not for anything Warren’s done wrong, but the history of the Steelers and locking up running backs to extensions. Incredibly, Warren is the first Steelers running back to receive a contract extension since Willie Parker nearly 20 years ago.
August 30, 2006. That’s when Parker inked a four-year extension, fresh off a Super Bowl win in which he made history with its longest run. It’s one that still stands today. Parker received a four-year, $13.6 million deal with a $3.75 million signing bonus. Good money for the times. Parker played out the length of the deal, though by the end, his career was cooked after a broken leg that sapped his world-class speed, and he didn’t log a snap past that final 2009 season.
Since then, running backs have come and gone. Rashard Mendenhall was supposed to be the replacement. He was put on the pile after his rookie deal was through. The Steelers did all they could to retain Le’Veon Bell with multiple messy contract negotiations. Bell said no-deal, sat out the 2018 season, and left for the New York Jets where his career turned to dust.
James Conner was a painful loss for Mike Tomlin personally, but injuries overshadowed his talent. Pittsburgh let him walk when his rookie deal expired. Najee Harris followed the same track as the Steelers showed no interest in retaining him. Kaleb Johnson’s addition was meant to bring more juice and big-play ability to a stagnant rushing attack.
For the first time since Parker, Warren is staying. It’s fitting for the two to share the role. Two undrafted free agents, two plucky backs who beat the odds, two guys who are actually cousins.
If “salt of the earth” could be personified into a running back, it’d fit Jaylen Warren. In college, he climbed the ladder from a JUCO in Snow College to Utah State to Oklahoma State. Undrafted, he signed with Pittsburgh because the team offered him the largest signing bonus. A whole $12,000. Safe to say this deal blows it out of the water.
Warren immediately showed why he belonged. Dominating in a backs on ‘backers drill like few running backs do, much less rookies, he easily made the team. He handled special teams grunt work running down kicks and punts, pass protected his butt off and assumed third-down duties early in his rookie year. As a runner, Warren’s a ball of energy who doesn’t go down without a fight.
That hasn’t changed over the years. Watch him at training camp and he still plays like a UDFA with glacier-sized chip on his shoulder. Sprinting to the end zone to finish every rep. Never taking his helmet off during practice. Playing all-out no matter the situation. His attitude and mentality is infectious. Warren certainly isn’t a dominate franchise back, there are limitations in long speed and his ball security isn’t as trustworthy as Harris was, but he’s a fun guy to watch.
But Warren earned his new deal. He enters 2025 in a new role, Pittsburgh’s lead runner, and now with a new contract. The streak is over. If Warren proves he can be the Steelers’ top back, he could receive a second extension a few summers from now.
