The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the 2025 NFL season with a brand new offense. Not only is Aaron Rodgers the quarterback, but Mike Tomlin will also reassess their running game. Hence, they established a contract extension for one of those players.
With Najee Harris gone, the running game needs a new face. One of them is rookie Kaleb Johnson. The other one is former backup-now-starter Jaylen Warren. Per Warren’s agent, David Canter, the Steelers and the player reached an agreement on a two-year contract extension.
Warren has overcome the odds after being an undrafted free agent in 2022. Since then, he has racked up 346 rushing attempts for 1674 yards and six touchdowns. More than that, he’s also served as a pass-catching back. He has 127 catches for 894 yards. Warren has been an absolute weapon since arriving, but now he’s due a promotion.
With Najee Harris gone, Warren’s opportunity is here
While many see rookie Kaleb Johnson as a potential starter, the fact is Warren already knows the playbook and excels at some key stuff Tomlin likes. For example, Warren is great at pass protection, something that Johnson has struggled with during the preseason and training camp.
Jaylen Warren #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Warren also is a proven commodity in this offense and has already worked fine with Arthur Smith, the team’s offensive coordinator. With Johnson there, chances are eventually they will split snaps, but Warren will still be key for the offense, and this extension proves it.
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The Steelers running game should be very good in 2025
Aside from Warren and Johnson, the Steelers also signed NFL veteran Kenneth Gainwell, who was Saquon Barkley’s backup last season in Philadelphia. Gainwell is also a very experienced back. Arthur Smith’s playbook is a run-heavy scheme, so you can count on the running backs to be very important.
This is great as Aaron Rodgers will definitely exploit play-action offense. With his arm and accuracy, he would absolutely thrive on one-on-one and with a loaded box. Besides, his weapons D.K. Metcalf and Roman Wilson are poised to be very good in contested catches.
