National Football League

Do Pittsburgh Steelers live by a new standard?

Published Jun. 17, 2022 11:10 a.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers are among the most storied franchises in football, considering they've been a regular playoff fixture in nearly every decade.

But as of late, their production has taken a steep drop-off. And according to Colin Cowherd, the squad is in dire need of a change in approach.

"I saw a story yesterday that celebrated Minkah Fitzpatrick being the highest-paid safety in the history of the NFL," Cowherd said Thursday on "The Herd."

"Everybody's like, ‘Yeah he got his money!’ And I thought, 'Pittsburgh's getting into an interesting place.' They have a great history, but almost none of it is in the last 12 years. Their biggest rivals in the AFC all have better quarterbacks than they do. They have a defensive coach in clearly an offensive league. And after the Fitzpatrick signing, the Steelers now have the most expensive defense in the NFL, and the least money invested in an offense.

"That ain't great in 2022."

Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick becomes highest-paid safety in NFL history

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Minkah Fitzpatrick to a four-year extension that will make him the NFL's highest-paid safety in league history. The Steelers are ranked in the top 10 of spending on defensive players, while dead last for offense. Colin Cowherd weighs in.

The Steelers have six Super Bowl titles, tied for the most in NFL history. But they haven't won It all since 2008 and haven't won the AFC since 2010.

"The standard in Pittsburgh used to be winning Super Bowls," Cowherd said. "You know what they brag about now? ‘Mike Tomlin’s never had a losing season.' That's not negative, but that's something the Browns would be happy with."

Cowherd said he wouldn't mind giving big bucks to a few defensive stalwarts, but emphasized that teams should be very particular about who exactly they're being generous with.

"I'm all for giving T.J. Watt everything he wants. He is insane. But a star safety? The Steelers' defense last year was ranked 24th. Pass rush, anchored by T.J. Watt, is an exception. I'd scale back on the big raises for defensive guys not named T.J. Watt.

"I know we like to celebrate athletes getting money, and I'm all for it. Minkah's fantastic. But the standard in Pittsburgh in the 70s, 80s, 90s was Super Bowls. What's the standard [now]? I don't know."