PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Mayor Ed Gainey is predicting a million people will attend the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
He spoke one-on-one with KDKA-TV hours after being joined by Governor Josh Shapiro and Steelers owner Art Rooney at an Acrisure Stadium press conference.
Speaking directly with KDKA, we asked the mayor about the impact the draft will have on the city, what he’s learned from past drafts.
“Today is a great day,” Gainey said. “It’s extremely exciting. I think it’s great for the city.”
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Bringing the draft to Pittsburgh has been Gainey’s dream for some time. He’s made it a priority, he said, sharing he brought the idea to Art Rooney during their first meeting after Gainey took office. Gainey said the Steelers have six Super Bowl Titles, and are due to host a draft.
Gainey has watched the growth of the draft from an event inside of Radio City Music Hall to the massive outdoor event that travels to a new city each year.
“I think it explains the phenomenon of football in this nation and in this city, we are a football city we are a football county, we are a football region,” Gainey said.
It’s part of the reason he is predicting the 2026 Draft will be the biggest-ever. He thinks it could be especially popular for Pittsburgh natives who have moved away.
“This will give people the opportunity to come back and see the new Pittsburgh, see the new city, see how we are doing things nowadays,” Gainey said.
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He thinks they’ll be impressed.
Also helping attendance reach those new heights is the proximity of Pittsburgh to other NFL cities, he said.
Asked by KDKA what he learned from his trip to the NFL Draft in Detroit, Gainey said collaboration with public safety services is critical.
Crowds fill an area outside of the draft stage during the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Detroit.
Carlos Osorio / AP
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That goes along with making people can move around without human gridlock.
“I think going there and and listening to them having it in downtown and the impact it had for businesses inside the city was critical for me to hear and know,” Gainey said.
We asked Gainey about if the city made any commitments to the NFL to land the draft.
He responded saying everyone involved has been able to talk about the services they would deliver.
When pressed for specific, Gainey said it’s something that could be discussed later.
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The NFL did not require any tax breaks or incentives for the draft, Gainey told KDKA.
Gainey said the NFL is working out any logistical commitments they’d be making with the city.
Governor Shapiro said at the press conference earlier in the day that Pittsburgh would have the state’s support.
“The commonwealth will make the investment,” Shapiro said. “We’re prepared to make this an awesome experience for everybody.
The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit brought 775,000 people to the city over the course of 3 days. Gainey said Pittsburgh can hit a million.
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Visit Pittsburgh told KDKA last year that Allegheny County has 18,000 hotel rooms.
When we told the mayor about that figure, and asked if the city has the space for the million people he predicts will attend the draft, Gainey said he believes we do.
When pressed to learn where, Gainey said he doesn’t know if the 18,000 number includes Airbnbs. In addition he said he does not know if it includes the instances where people stay with family members.
He said counties around Pittsburgh, like Westmoreland, Washington, and Butler counties will all benefit as a lot of people will stay in hotels outside Allegheny County.
“As long as they are close they will stay at those hotels,” Gainey said.
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During the early afternoon press conference, Visit Pittsburgh CEO Jerad Bachar said the NFL has spent a considerable amount of time in Pittsburgh figuring out logistics.
“They’re satisfied with everything that we have on offer, including the number of hotel rooms,” Bachar said.
Gainey said there is a lot of work ahead, but it will all be worth it.
“It’s all city, it’s all football, it’s all team. Let’s go get it,” Gainey said.
We also asked the mayor about the specific location of the draft stage and how Point State Park would be used.
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He said the NFL hasn’t finalized those details yet so they don’t have anything they can share.
The first week of NFL free agency has passed, and Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan did not hesitate to get to work.
Big Acquisitions for Pittsburgh
Within an hour of the “legal tampering window” opening on March 9, Khan struck a deal with the Indianapolis Colts to bring wide receiver Michael Pittman to Pittsburgh. The two teams also swapped late-round picks. As part of the deal, Pittman reworked his deal to a three-year, $59 million contract. This is a move that lowers his cap hit for the upcoming season.
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Hours after bringing in Pittman, the first signing was agreed to. Jamel Dean, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract. Later the same day, Pittsburgh finalized a two-year, $12.25 million deal with Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle.
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The following day, former Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker inked a one-year, $5.5 million deal to join the Steelers. Defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, previously with the Titans, later signed a two-year deal worth $11 million.
How Do These Additions Help the Steelers?
Bringing in a player like Pittman gives the Steelers the second receiving option that they have needed for the last two seasons.
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Pittsburgh has been searching for a second great receiver since trading Diontae Johnson in 2023. It seemed like they had found that number two last offseason after acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. However, the Steelers later traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, leaving them in the same situation.
Pittman provides another weapon for Mike McCarthy’s offense that the defense will need to scheme around. Rather than having to worry about guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, defenses will now have to adjust for Metcalf and Pittman. This proves a stark upgrade from statistically one of the worst receivers at getting open last season.
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Sticking with the offense, the signing of Rico Dowdle secures a replacement for 2025 Team MVP Kenneth Gainwell.
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Pittsburgh began the search for Gainwell’s replacement after he left for the beaches of Tampa. Dowdle is coming off his second career 1000-yard season, also running for a career-high six touchdowns. Bringing in Dowdle allows the Steelers to continue the split-backfield they ran last season with Gainwell and Jaylen Warren.
Defensively, adding Dean and Brisker bolsters a secondary that was toward the bottom of the league in pass defense last season.
Dean brings consistent play across from young star Joey Porter Jr. When he’s healthy, Dean can play up to the level of other top corners across the league. Brisker will almost certainly be a starter from day one at safety, allowing Jalen Ramsey, who switched to safety in the middle of last season, to transition back to cornerback.
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Finally, adding Sebastian Joseph-Day to the defensive line adds a strong depth piece to an already powerful unit. Joseph-Day will likely serve in a backup role behind guys like Cameron Heyward and Derrick Harmon. However, a player of his caliber allows for a seamless transition when one of those guys needs rest during a game.
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Other Potential Moves
The storyline of the Steelers’ offseason, along with the coaching change, is the need for a quarterback.
Some of the top options that had been on the radar for the Steelers have already come off the board. Kyler Murray joined the Vikings in Minnesota, and the Dolphins brought in Malik Willis after releasing Tua Tagovailoa. With each day that passes, it seems more and more likely that Pittsburgh will run it back with Aaron Rodgers.
After adding a receiver and cornerback, the team now needs to look back to the trenches, this time on the offensive side.
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Pittsburgh’s Pro Bowl left guard, Isaac Seumalo, joined the Arizona Cardinals. As it stands, it seems the Steelers like what they have in Spencer Anderson and may at least give him a shot at the starting job. However, it’s hard to imagine Khan won’t at least take a peek at the offensive guard market with guys like Joel Bitonio and Mekhi Becton available.
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Despite the flurry of signings, Pittsburgh still ranks tenth in cap space. They still have plenty of money to go out and fill these gaps. It is also possible that they could wait until the NFL Draft next month.
In regard to the quarterback situation, they could look towards guys like Nussmeier and Allar. As for the now uncertain left guard position, it could be Iowa’s Beau Stephens coming in as a replacement.
The post The Pittsburgh Steelers Made a Splash in Free Agency appeared first on The Lead.
Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are expected to arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday to assist with Transportation Security Administration operations.
A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Airport Authority said that ICE agents are expected to be deployed at Pittsburgh International on Monday. There’s no timeframe on when they’re expected to arrive.
The Airport Authority previously said it was aware of ICE agents being deployed at airports across the country and that it remains in close contact with federal partners at TSA as well as with local law enforcement and the Allegheny County Police Department.
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“Safety and security are always the top priority at airports around the country,” the authority said. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and stay in contact with our law enforcement partners. How federal agencies operate is not something that any airport, including ACAA controls. Any further questions about federal agencies’ operations should be directed to those agencies.”
President Trump said over the weekend that ICE agents will assist TSA agents at airports this week as delays and security staffing shortages continue to worsen amid a stalemate in Congress over how to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Security wait times at Pittsburgh International have remained consistent in recent days and weeks with most wait times under 15 minutes.
Three juveniles were arrested Sunday in Downtown Pittsburgh after police say a fight broke out among about 40 people during which pepper spray was used, according to Pittsburgh police.
Officers responded to reports of a large gathering of juveniles at Forbes Avenue and Market Square around 5:30 p.m.
A fight broke out among about 40 people outside. During the incident, police said some juveniles began using pepper spray.
When the officers’ verbal commands to disperse were ignored, they deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowd and restore order, police said.
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Police did not say what charges, if any, the three juveniles taken into custody would face. Their ages were not disclosed.
Paramedics set up a decontamination area and treated about 20 people at the scene for exposure to pepper spray, police said.
No one was taken to a hospital, and no officers were hurt, police said.
