Ex-Vikings Playmaker Joins Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh
Tight end Robert Tonyan stopped by the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, noteworthy because Vikings fans remembered him from his Green Bay Packers days. There, he played alongside quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and in 2026, he’ll reunite with his pal in Pittsburgh.
Tonyan signed with the Steelers last week, and he’ll vie for a roster spot at training camp and in the preseason.
Steelers TE Room Gets Another Familiar NFC North Name
Tonyan to PIT
It’s official for Tonyan, at least for a couple of months, on the Steelers’ roster. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ray Fittipaldo wrote last week, “The Steelers added two veteran players to their 90-man offseason roster on Thursday when they signed tight end Robert Tonyan and linebacker Jamin Davis. Tonyan, 32, has a history with coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He played for the Packers for five seasons and had his best seasons when Rodgers was throwing him passes.”
“Tonyan spent last season on Kansas City’s practice squad, but he had a strong chemistry with Rodgers when they played together from 2018-22. He caught 11 touchdowns in 2020 and had a career-best 53 receptions in 2022. He also played for the Bears (2023) and Vikings (2024) before joining the Chiefs last season.”
Davis also played for the Vikings — the 2024 campaign.
The Pit Stop in MIN
Tonyan joined the Vikings as a backup tight end while T.J. Hockenson recovered from a significant ACL injury. The move appeared promising: a veteran pass catcher familiar with the NFC North, potentially filling a TE2 or TE3 role. However, training camp revealed a different story.
Back spasms sidelined Tonyan during the preseason, allowing Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse to gain ground. The Vikings initially cut him during final roster reductions but then re-signed him to the practice squad. Once the season began, his playing time was minimal.
He participated in only 13 offensive snaps and 33 special teams snaps for Minnesota. After three practice squad elevations, the Vikings faced a decision: add him to the active roster or release him. They released him in October 2024.
Career to Date
Tonyan’s career peaked in 2020, his most productive season by a large margin. Playing for the Packers, he demonstrated efficiency in Rodgers’ potent offense, securing 52 catches for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns on merely 59 targets. During that period, Tonyan emerged as a prominent offensive threat, not just a supporting player, highlighted by a sweet 88.1% catch rate for a tight end.
Following the breakout year, his production declined. Across five seasons with Green Bay, he accumulated 137 catches, 1,437 yards, and 17 touchdowns over 68 games. While there were respectable statistics that established him as a recognizable player in the league, they never matched the extraordinary output of his 2020 campaign.
Lately, both his playing time and production have declined substantially. In 2023, with the Chicago Bears, he registered only 17 targets, 11 catches, 112 yards, and no touchdowns. His brief stint with the Vikings in 2024 was largely uneventful, and by 2025, while with the Kansas City Chiefs, he managed just a single catch for 1 yard.
Here’s his full destination list; he’s even completed the NFC North grand slam:
- Detroit Lions (2017)
- Green Bay Packers (2017–2022)
- Chicago Bears (2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2024–2025)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2026–now)
Steelers’ TEs
Pittsburgh has plenty of tight ends — none of them great, but not lacking as a whole. Here’s the group:
- Darnell Washington
- Pat Freiermuth
- Robert Tonyan
- JJ Galbreath
- Lake McRee
- Jaheim Bell
Tonyan will have to keep Galbreath, McRee, and Bell at bay in July and August at training camp because Washington and Freiermuth aren’t going anywhere.
Steelers Depot‘s Matthew Marczi noted on the tight end depth, “The Steelers already have two tight ends making eight-figure annual salaries on the roster in Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. Riley Nowakowski figured to slide into that third spot, functioning also as a fullback. A fifth-round pick doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot, though. If Robert Tonyan forces his way onto the roster, somebody has to lose a spot.”
“The Steelers have managed to hold onto every draft pick for the past three years without waiving them, though some spent their rookie seasons on IR. With 10 draft picks this year, that streak likely comes to an end. Robert Tonyan may or may not play a role in that, but training camp — and possibly injuries — will sort it all out.”
Tonyan turned 32 in April.
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