Pittsburgh Steelers Extend Another Player Ahead of the 2026 Season
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing players to contract extensions as they prepare for the 2026 season under new coach Mike McCarthy. The team, fresh off winning the AFC North last year, is locking up young talent to their roster before the upcoming campaign. The Steelers aim to return to the playoffs after their division title run, with management prioritizing long-term roster continuity through these extension deals.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting their roster locked up with extensions. With a new coach in Mike McCarthy, the team is making sure they have some of its young players under contract for an extended period of time. They are looking to make it back into the playoffs after winning the AFC North last season, but not winning a playoff game. Let’s take a closer look at who it was and what it means for the Pittsburgh Steelers going forward.
The Pittsburgh Steelers extend tight end Darnell Washington
Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to an extension with tight end Darnell Washington on Wednesday night. The extension is a four-year, $42 million deal and has $21 million of it guaranteed. Washington had his season cut short due to a broken arm, but he was able to play in 16 games before the injury. He recorded 31 receptions on 43 targets for 364 yards (11.7 yards per catch) with one receiving touchdown. As the team’s projected starting tight end ahead of Pat Friermuth and fifth-round rookie Riley Nowakowski, this shows some confidence in the 2023 third-round pick from Georgia.
This is the second contract extension that the Pittsburgh Steelers dished out in the last two days, after extending linebacker Nick Herbig on Tuesday. The Steelers are hoping to have a significant offensive threat, and the tight end position can be an underrated part of McCarthy’s system. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers having some chemistry with him, he is going to be at best the third option for defenses to target behind wide receivers DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. It will be intriguing to see how the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense looks with Rodgers back under center and now a tight end locked in for the next handful of seasons.
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