Steelers GM Confirms the Super Bowl Winning Safety is Staying in Pittsburgh in 2026
Despite weeks of rumors and mock trades, Steelers general manager Omar Khan confirmed on March 3rd that 31-year-old safety Jalen Ramsey will stay with the Steelers for the 2026 season. On February 24th, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine released a list of trades he would like to see every team make ahead of the 2026 NFL season, one of which involved sending Jalen Ramsey to the Dallas Cowboys. Ballentine wrote, "Dallas also came up as a potential suitor when the Dolphins were potentially looking to trade Ramsey last spring." This, of course, did not come true, as the Steelers traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. After struggling in Pittsburgh's secondary as a CB, Ramsey was moved to safety, finishing the year with 88 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, eight pass deflections, three sacks, and one interception, paving the way for him to stay a Steeler. When asked about his future, Omar Khan stated that he doesn't intend to trade Ramsey, saying, "I know this coaching staff is excited to work with him. He will be a Steeler, yeah."
While the Steelers have one of the oldest defenses in the league by average age, there was no question in Khan's mind that keeping the veteran safety was a necessity for the upcoming season. Ramsey is aging and expensive, with an expected cap hit of $18.5 million in the 2026 season, making him a likely trade candidate. Freeing up the Steelers' cap room, gaining even more draft picks, and getting younger players all sound like positives to trading Ramsey, but Khan, approaching his fifth season as the Steelers GM, values what Ramsey can bring to the table more. The Steelers have never been a team that tanks for a draft pick, and while building for the future is highly important, Pittsburgh made it clear they have a win-now mindset when they signed Mike McCarthy to be their next head coach. Ramsey's experience, attitude, and football IQ give the Steelers the best chance to win and then address their future after the 2026 season.
With star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. leading a secondary consisting of Asante Samuel Jr., James Pierre, Brandin Echols, Chuck Clark, and, of course, Jalen Ramsey, as well as a draft class full of studs in the secondary, such as Jermod McCoy, Mansoor Delane, Caleb Downs, and Dillon Thieneman, the Steelers feel no need to move Ramsey before the start of the 2026 season. Their secondary continues to improve each year, and with many mock drafts claiming the Steelers will take one of these exciting defensive backs within the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, it will hopefully improve even more. While it is unclear where Ramsey will fit into the Steelers' defense in 2026, Omar Khan is confident that he is the guy for them, claiming, "I can't say enough about Jalen and his approach to the game, and how good of a teammate he's been. He works hard, and I love his versatility." During the 2025 season, Ramsey played 450 snaps at free safety, 359 snaps at slot cornerback, and 160 snaps at outside cornerback, acting as the swiss-army knife of the Steelers' defense. If Omar Khan plays his cards right and signs or drafts an excellent defensive back, Ramsey will be the perfect mentor for their first year in Pittsburgh.
