Calvin Austin III Has No Clue if Contract Extension is Coming
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III isn't sure if an extension is coming as he heads into the final year of his contract.
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III is heading into the final year of his rookie deal in 2025. However, he revealed during the first day of OTAs that he doesn’t know what to expect when it comes to a possible contract extension.
“I have no clue of that. Since I was a walk-on at Memphis, my mindset going into any season has been work,” Austin said. “I’m always chasing the goal of being the best form of me that I can be. So I haven’t even thought about that.”
Austin, 26, was a fourth-round pick (No. 138) in the 2022 NFL Draft and is coming off the best season of his NFL career. In 2024, he had a career-high 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns. It was a massive step following his 2023 campaign, during which he recorded just 17 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown.
Austin’s numbers project to only increase in 2025, too, after the Steelers traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this month, and that’s exactly what he plans to do.
“I came in with George, so it does feel different in that aspect,” Austin said. “But at the end of the day, we step on this football field, it’s business. Playing football has been my dream since I was little.”
The only wide receiver Pittsburgh has made a long-term commitment to is DK Metcalf, who the team acquired in March. So it’s unclear if it would like to do so with another playmaker.
Austin has a strong case as long as the price is right, though. He continues to make strides on offense and has proven to be a difference maker on special teams with a punt return for a touchdown last season.