Should we “trust the process” when it comes to the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers?

Trust the process.

That’s a phrase that basketball fans, particularly those of the Philadelphia 76ers, know well. It’s a slogan the franchise adopted when Sam Hinkie took over as its general manager back in 2013. “The Process” was Hinkie’s plan to rebuild a mediocre 76ers team into a championship contender by tearing them down through purposeful losing in order to acquire high draft picks, then using those picks to acquire elite players.

More than a decade later, Hinkie’s “Process” has become a joke. Philadelphia executed the losing part extremely well. Between 2013-2017, they went a cumulative 75-253. This allowed them to acquire the premium picks Hinkie coveted. The problem was, Philly squandered those riches by making one poor selection after another, and by engineering trades that ultimately flopped. The only cornerstone player they landed throughout The Process period was Joel Embiid, whose injuries have derailed what may have been a Hall of Fame career. Long story short, since launching The Process over a decade ago, Philadelphia has failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs, rendering Hinkie’s experiment a spectacular failure.

Which brings us to the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers. Their “process” this off-season has not involved tanking, like Hinkie’s did. But it has been similarly peculiar. They began by failing to resign either of their free agent quarterbacks — Justin Fields and Russell Wilson — which left them scrambling for a new starter. For the past several months, they’ve been pursuing Aaron Rodgers, who is 41 years of age and coming off of a drama-filled stint with the Jets that reinforced his reputation as a diva. The Rodgers courtship has been met with tempered enthusiasm by the fan base, to say the least, and has underscored the notion that the Steelers, now four years removed from Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, still lack an effective plan to replace him.

Then, on Wednesday, the team traded mercurial wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for a 3rd Round pick in next year’s draft. The trade itself was not surprising, given how Pickens’ contract status and temperamental behavior have made him a potential trade candidate since Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf in early March. But the timing was odd. Most fans assumed a trade, if it were to occur, would come around the NFL draft, so the Steelers could select a replacement. But the draft came and went, Pickens remained a Steeler, and the team stood pat at receiver. At that point, it felt like a pretty safe bet Pickens would remain in Pittsburgh, at least for 2025.

Think again.

The compensation for Pickens was fair. But why trade him after the draft, where no successor was chosen? And, thinking back to the quarterback situation, was the plan all along to let Fields and Wilson walk, and to search for a successor in free agency? Or, in both situations, were the Steelers acting in a reactionary fashion to events unfolding in ways for which they had not planned? Was it “Trust the process?” Or have they been making it up as they go?

The truth, it is often said, is usually somewhere in between. This seems true with the Steelers. It has been written that Pittsburgh wanted to resign Fields, but was unwilling to pay the $20 million per season he was offered by the Jets. It’s no sure thing Fields would have evolved into a franchise player. But $40 million over two years, which is what he agreed to in New York, was not too much to spend to find out. Rodgers may ultimately come cheaper, and almost certainly for just one year. But whereas Fields may have been the long-term solution, Rodgers is not. Pittsburgh will be back in this quarterback boat again next year, trying to figure things out.

Perhaps that’s the plan, though. Perhaps the Steelers really did not see a long-term solution in this year’s crop of free agent quarterbacks and draft picks, and are indeed waiting for next year’s supposedly deep quarterback class. If that’s the case, they’ve gathered plenty of draft capital to move up high enough to secure one of those elite QBs. Trust the process?

As for Pickens, it’s quite possible no team offered a deal during the draft as attractive as the one they ultimately agreed to with Dallas. And, while moving Pickens now leaves the Steelers without a legitimate WR2, the wide receiver room may be better than it was last season by the time all is said and done. Pittsburgh has plenty of time to sign a veteran free agent, like Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper, both of whom can still be productive. They’ve already signed Robert Woods, who represents a nice depth piece and a good fit for Arthur Smith’s offense. And with last year’s third round pick, Roman Wilson, returning after missing his rookie season with an injury, it wasn’t really necessary to add another receiver through the draft. A receiving corps of Metcalf, Cooper/Allen, Woods, Wilson and Calvin Austin III would certainly be better than last year’s group of Pickens, Austin, Van Jefferson, Mike Williams, and Ben Skowronek/Scotty Miller.

Right?

When the dust settles, the Steelers could wind up being better at quarterback and receiver than they were a year ago. The process to get there has certainly been convoluted. But as Mike Tomlin likes to say, style points don’t matter. This hasn’t been a seamless process for the Steelers, and it will leave them with questions beyond 2025. But if the goal is to improve the roster from where it was last season, the end may justify the means.

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