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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team with a plan. When it comes to the salary cap, the Pittsburgh front office can normally find a way to keep its best players and still fill in with enough talent around them to remain competitive. This isn’t to say the Steelers don’t overpay at times, because there’s no doubt this is a thing but normally this group does well when it comes to finances.
But with the potential of a lowered cap next offseason, the Steelers have been put in an impossible position. Players like wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, running back James Conner, offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva and defensive tackle Cam Heyward are all going to be free agents. And this is just the shortlist. We could easily include offensive lineman Matt Feiler and cornerback Mike Hilton to this group.
This means Pittsburgh has less than three weeks to make some very difficult choices. Ideally, the Steelers and Cam Heyward will find a way to make an extension work. But realistically we all understand this is a longshot.
Keep in mind, these proposed ideas are made with the understanding both linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick are in line in just a year to become the highest-paid players at their respective positions and are the best players on the team.
Should the Steelers try to trade off some of these guys now? If they allow them to hit free agency with no money to pay them, the Steelers will get nothing in return. It is heartbreaking to think the Steelers might trade a player like Heyward or Smith-Schuster but let’s be pragmatic. Pittsburgh is going to be counting on a re-build after this season either way, so why not have a little draft capital to work with.
The downside is if Pittsburgh starts ejecting players now via trades, it likely takes them out of contention for this season. We did say these decisions were impossible, right?
But I want to pass the question off to you all. What would you do? Do you just play out the season, try to win a Super Bowl and then just blow the team up in the offseason or do you start now and plan for the future? Let us know.
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