Michael Pittman

At 28.3 years old entering his sixth NFL season, Pittman is past the typical WR production peak (25-26 years old). His 2024 back fracture and regression in route separation suggest age-related decline may already be underway.

Aaron Rodgers (42) has stated 2026 is his final NFL season, leaving Pittman tied to an unresolved succession of Mason Rudolph/Drew Allar in 2027 — Allar is viewed as a project/practice-squad QB at best, threatening passing-game volume the year after.

After not starting a single game in 2025, it seems likely the Colts will decline Anthony Richardson's fifth-year option and trade him. Daniel Jones, currently the likely starter, is recovering from a torn Achilles and may not be fully healthy by summer, creating QB uncertainty going forward.

Pittman was traded to Pittsburgh in March 2026 and signed a 3-year, $59M extension. Pittsburgh is historically one of the NFL's lowest-volume passing offenses, materially capping his target ceiling compared to his Colts role.

The Colts added stud tight end Tyler Warren with their first-round pick, and prefer to run the ball, which figures to come down Pittman's target volume. Alec Pierce ranks above Pittman in recent depth charts, suggesting role shift.

Pittman finished the 2025 season with only 76 receptions for 757 yards through 15 games, ranking third in receiving yards behind Warren and Pierce. His target share has declined with the run-heavy offense and multiple TE sets featuring Warren.

Mike McCarthy's spread-passing system is a massive upgrade over Arthur Smith's TE-heavy offense; Pittsburgh's stated intent to increase WR usage means Pittman's per-game opportunity floor is meaningfully higher than anything he saw in Indianapolis.

If Aaron Rodgers returns, Pittman gains access to an elite QB for the first time in his career — the Colts cycled through Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, and similar stopgaps, and even modest efficiency gains from Rodgers could unlock a career-best year at 28.

Playing most of 2024 with a painful back fracture while avoiding injured reserve, Pittman performed through injury. His consistency as a target machine remained intact despite setbacks.

In 2022, Pittman's 97% snap share led the entire league, and his 92% share in 2023 was tied with Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson for third. As a split end, he naturally plays large snap share unless the team runs multiple TE sets.

Pittman played through a back fracture for all of 2024 without surgery and participated fully in 2025 OTAs/minicamp. His 2025 bounce-back (career-high 7 TDs through 15 games) suggests he's healthier, though overall volume remains depressed.

Pittman signed a 3-year, $59M extension in March 2026, locking in a guaranteed starting WR2 role and snap-share security through the contract window — no risk of being phased out near-term.