The Pittsburgh Steelers recently acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts. However, a player who has played with Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers does not think this is the best move.
Why Greg Jennings Questions the Michael Pittman Jr. Trade to Pittsburgh
Wide receiver Greg Jennings played with Rodgers from 2006 to 2012. After his playing career, Jennings transitioned into media, appearing on the show First Things First. When asked if Pittman Jr. could be dangerous with wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and Rodgers at quarterback, Jennings said, “not dangerous at all.”
There are a couple of reasons why. First, Pittman Jr. is coming off a disappointing season. According to the PFSN NFL WR Impact Metric, Pittman Jr. received a grade of C and ranked 50th. Pittman Jr. also never had a game grade higher than C+ during the season.
Pittman Jr. had 784 yards on 80 catches, which averages out to 9.8 yards per catch. Pittman Jr. was one of just a handful of receivers to post 80 or more catches without reaching 1,000 receiving yards.
.@GregJennings says a Michael Pittman Jr-Aaron Rodgers duo is “not dangerous at all” đź‘€
“I don’t like the Pittman-DK duo. This is not a fit. Pittman is not a YAC guy.” pic.twitter.com/TNzWq4t4MH — First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 10, 2026
Pittman Jr. also had just one game over 100 yards last year. Part of Pittman Jr.’s field-stretching limitations could be due to a reason Jennings mentioned. Jennings stated that neither Pittman Jr. nor Metcalf is great at releasing off the line of scrimmage.
Another issue Jennings brought up is that Pittman Jr. is not a YAC (yards after catch) receiver. He states Metcalf can do that, but Pittman Jr. cannot. Jennings went on to say that having a YAC-type receiver is important for a veteran quarterback like Rodgers.
Pittman Jr. did not rank in the top 25 for YAC playmakers last year. This includes all offensive positions.
Since Pittman Jr. struggles with YAC and stretching the field, what is he great at? Jennings went on to say that he is great at the 50-50 ball. This means that when the ball is up in the air, Pittman Jr. is great at bringing it down. Pittman Jr. has the size and frame for that kind of success.
However, while this is great, Jennings goes on to say that Metcalf already does this very well. So, in a way, the Steelers have a receiver who doesn’t bring much to the table beyond what Metcalf already provides.
In a year that could be Rodgers’ last, Jennings feels this move does not move the needle for Pittsburgh. Jennings went on to state that this was an odd move by Pittsburgh.
Historically, the Steelers have had great receiving talent such as Antonio Brown and Santonio Holmes. Additionally, the Steelers brought in head coach Mike McCarthy, who has extensive positive experience coaching receivers, including Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Donald Driver.
Given the franchise’s history, Jennings’ confusion makes sense. Hopefully, though, with McCarthy’s great track record, he can get the best out of the former Colts playmaker.
