Let's get to it:
SUNIL GEORGE FROM PRINCETON, NJ: The Steelers really have not had a slot receiver since JuJu Smith-Schuster. What are the chances that the Steelers will draft a WR who can operate in the slot?
ANSWER: Certainly, position flexibility to some degree is important to the wide receiver position in the NFL, but my opinion on the drafting of a wide receiver is that who the Steelers add at that position on the first or second day of picking in April has to be a weapon. A playmaker. The whole package. Because the Steelers already have Calvin Austin III, and I thought he did some nice things from the slot last season. He's a player still very much in development, and he's still operating on his rookie contract. In 2024, Austin played in all 17 games, 8 of which were starts, and he had 36 catches on 58 targets for 548 yards (15.2 average) and 4 touchdowns. His catches accounted for a first down 18 times. With touchdown catches of 55 yards, 29 yards, and 23 yards, Austin showed he can add some ability to make plays down the field working from the slot. Looking at the wide receiver depth chart, it seems to me the Steelers' primary need in the draft is a talent who can be a running-mate for George Pickens. I wouldn't spend a premium draft pick on what I believe you mean when you suggest a "slot receiver."
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ELLEN CAUDLE FROM CHATTANOOGA, TN: When a player signs a contract for fully guaranteed money, then he gets injured and hasn't shown that much improvement on the field, is the team still obligated to pay the fully guaranteed amount?
ANSWER: When a contract is "fully guaranteed," payment cannot be withheld because of dissatisfaction with performance.
DAVID BARNHART FROM WORTHINGTON, PA: My question concerns the draft. What options does a college player have if he is not selected to attend the Combine, but he does well at the college's Pro Day, and then he goes undrafted in April? When can the team bring him in for a visit? Can he be offered a deal to attend camp? Just how does that work?
ANSWER: Given the chain of events you describe, I believe such a player would get signed as an undrafted rookie in the hours after the seventh round of the draft concluded. Draft eligible players who are not drafted become free agents and are able to sign with any team. And there may have been teams that included him as one of their 30 pre-draft visits just based on his showing at his Pro Day to get some more information about him.
KHARI CLEMMONS FROM PETERSBURG, WV: I know that you do not cover the Browns or any other team, but I read on ESPN.com that Myles Garrett has two years remaining on a 5-year deal that he signed in 2020. Was that a misprint? Or is there something about contracts that defy the rules of mathematics?
ANSWER: I have no idea what ESPN.com reported about Myles Garrett, but I can tell you that is he is under contract to the Browns through the 2026 season. His salary cap charges are scheduled to be $19.7 million in 2025 and $20.4 million in 2026.
TIMOTHY DOWNEY FROM DERRY, PA: In your opinion, do you think the Steelers are making a mistake by not being more aggressive in trying to sign Justin Fields? There are a few teams with interest that could lure him away. Or do the Steelers feel Fields just doesn't have starting quarterback potential?
ANSWER: The Steelers cannot force Justin Fields to sign a contract extension, and he has representation (David Mulugheta) who is trying to get his client the most money he can. In situations like this, it would've been foolish for the player to take himself off the market without at least getting to the legal tampering period, and it wouldn't have been shrewd business for the team to get reckless and overpay before then just to get a deal done. Once the legal tampering period opens at noon on March 10, both sides will have had a chance to gauge the market, and then the real negotiations can begin. Ultimately I see this coming down to the difference in dollars and how the player then views the respective opportunities. Does Fields see value for his career in not having to start all over with a third team, or does he view starting over with a third team to be in his best interests?
WILLIAM YOUNG FROM BADEN, PA: If the Steelers re-sign Justin Fields prior to the start of free agency, do they have to announce the signing immediately or can they wait until after free agency starts?
ANSWER: OK, as mentioned in the above answer, the start of the legal tampering period is noon on March 10, and free agency begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday March 12. If the Steelers re-sign Justin Fields before free agency begins, the deal can be announced as soon as the sides have agreed on terms. It's only if Fields agrees to terms with another team that the official signing cannot happen before the official start of free agency. And there is a very real difference in the eyes of the NFL between agreeing to terms and signing a contract.
EDWARD SWARTZ FROM NORWICH, OH: I read that the Steelers offense averaged 22 points a game in 2024. I remember back when Todd Haley was the offensive coordinator he said in an interview he wanted to score 30 points a game. This got me wondering, what is the most points per game the Steelers averaged in a season, and how did the season end? Also, what is the lowest average points allowed by the defense and how did that season end?
ANSWER: The Steelers scored 380 points in 2024, which worked out to an average of 22.4 points per game. The way the Steelers keep teams records pertaining to points scored in a season and points allowed in a season, the rankings are listed by total points, not average points per game.
• The franchise record for points scored in a season is 436 in 2014 (when Todd Haley was the offensive coordinator), and that computes to an average of 27.3 points per game. The 2014 Steelers finished 11-5 and won the AFC North Division; they lost in the Wild Card Round, 30-17, to the Ravens.
• The franchise record for fewest points allowed is 117 in 1946, and that works out to an average of 10.6 per game. That team finished 5-5-1 and in third place in the Eastern Conference.
• On a side note, the 1976 Steelers allowed 136 points in a 14-game season, which comes out to an average of 9.7 per game. That team finished 10-4 and won the AFC Central Division; they lost the AFC Championship Game in Oakland, 24-7.
MARK RICE FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: Do you think the Steelers are as undecided over which QB they want to sign or re-sign? Or do you think they've known all along and are just keeping it close to their vest for some reason, with a QB signing coming soon? I know I am just a fan. I've been a Steelers fan my whole life. So this indecision on the QB decision from the organization baffles me.
ANSWER: I'm trying to be patient here, because I have dealt with this issue in various forms a bunch of times before. Let me start from the beginning, for hopefully the last time. Teams cannot sign any potential free agents from other teams until 4 p.m. on March 12. Teams are able to re-sign their own potential free agents at any time, but those guys will get the right to gauge their value on the open market starting on March 10, which is the legal tampering period. And the most important thing to consider is that IT'S A NEGOTIATION. Both sides have to agree. And since there's a lot of money in the center of the table, why on earth would one side show its cards? To satisfy the fans' right to know? There is no right to know. There's plenty of speculation out there in the ether to entertain you, and when there's something concrete to know you can be assured that information will be all over the place. Patience.
GUILHERME MERTENS FROM FLORIANÓPOLIS, SC, BRAZIL: I am from Brazil, a big fan of this feature, and I don't miss a single edition of Asked and Answered. My question: Do you think it is possible for the Steelers to be designated to play the Los Angeles Chargers in the Brazil game and have 2 International Games? I would love to see that. My only game I saw in person was Chargers at Steelers in 2003. Could you provide some statistics from that game?
ANSWER: The Los Angeles Chargers have been designated as the home team for the Sept. 5 game to be played in Sao Paulo as part of the NFL's 2025 International Games. And the Steelers are scheduled to play the Chargers on Los Angeles this season, so that makes it possible. When it comes to what the NFL might decide to do with its schedule I have learned never to say never. But I would hope it's highly unlikely the league would send the Steelers to both Ireland and Brazil during the 2025 regular season.
Back in 2003, the Steelers defeated the Chargers, 40-24, on Dec. 21, which turned out to be the final win in a season that ended at 6-10 for the Steelers. Jerome Bettis rushed for 115 yards on 32 carries (3.6 average) and 1 touchdown; Tommy Maddox completed 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) for 160 yards, with 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a rating of 128.8; and Plaxico Burress caught touchdown passes of 25 and 16 yards. On defense, Deshea Townsend had a 25-yard pick-6 to help create a miserable day for Chargers quarterback Drew Brees, who completed 16-of-26 (61.5 percent) for 198 yards, with 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and a rating of 65.9.
