Tag: Steelers free agents

1 thing that must happen for the Steelers to lure in top free agents

Pittsburgh has to solidify the quarterback position before trying to sign any top offensive free agents.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into free agency with plenty of money to spend. They should also have an opportunity to make some salary-cap cuts, re-do some contracts and really be sitting pretty to be big spenders when it comes to top-tier free agents.

However, none of that is going to matter until the Steelers do one big thing first. Pittsburgh has to have a veteran starting quarterback in place. Our preference would be Justin Fields which would then allow the Steelers to use a day-two draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft on a developmental quarterback like Jalen Milroe or Will Howards.

If the Steelers do decide to pass on Fields, they cannot wait to bring in a veteran. We hope it isn’t Russell Wilson but there are some names out there like Trey Lance or Jameis Winston if Pittsburgh wants to start over.

This isn’t to say any of them are the long-term solution but if the Steelers want to lure in a player like Tee Higgins or Amari Cooper, they want to know who is throwing them the football and they want to feel confident there’s someone there who can get them the football.

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NFL execs make predictions about Steelers QB room

The Steelers will have to decide between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

The biggest decision the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making this offseason is which of their two starting quarterbacks will get a new contract and which will be moving on. ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler spoke to executives to make a prediction for each NFL team for this offseason.

When it came to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they were predicting the Steelers would sign Justin Fields over Russell Wilson and in turn draft a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft as well.

People around the league are torn about what the Steelers should or will do at quarterback. The Russell Wilson experiment was not a failure — he showed promise and gave the offense a lift midseason. But he was signed to help the Steelers in the playoffs, where Pittsburgh lost in the first round again.
Some executives believe the Steelers could bring back Wilson. But Fields is 25 — 11 years younger — and has an explosive skill set around which the team could build … at least for one more year.
“I still think this could go either way,” an NFL scouting director said. “Part of me feels like they bring back Russell. Either way, I expect them to draft a quarterback fairly high. They need someone who can be the answer long term.”
The Steelers select No. 21 overall in April, hardly a place to find an elite quarterback in a weaker class.
While we agree that the Steelers would be wise to re-sign Fields as opposed to Wilson, the whole drafting of a quarterback part is the wild card. As noted, this isn’t a strong quarterback group at the top so any player chosen is going to need time to develop. In addition, if the Steelers go with Fields, a mid-tier veteran might be in order as well as insurance however that could be as simple as re-signing Kyle Allen.
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Have the Steelers already moved on from Justin Fields for 2025?

Are the Steelers committed to only re-signing Russell Wilson in the offseason?

Once the 2024 season wraps up, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have some serious decisions to make about the quarterback position. The team has started Justin Fields and Russell Wilson this season and both quarterbacks have had their ups and downs. Both quarterbacks are also set to the free agents in 2025 and it is highly unlikely the Steelers can or would re-sign both.

According to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, the Steelers want to re-sign Wilson in the offseason but questioned whether or not they would.

Schefter offered up nothing to do with Fields as an option for the Steelers this offseason despite going 4-2 as a starter this season.

Four weeks ago, we’d have guessed Wilson was in line to get a huge new contract from some team at the end of the season but after the team has fallen apart the last three games, this cannot be a given at all. At this point, it feels more like Pittsburgh will try and lowball Wilson and hope to keep him and then draft a young guy to eventually replace him.

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Steelers could cash in thanks to big salary cap bump for 2025

The Steelers can use every penny of that extra salary cap next offseason.

As much as we all want to just sit back and enjoy the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are eyeing a brutal offseason when it comes to contracts. There are multiple guys who will be looking for big paydays and when it comes to the salary cap, it always takes some manipulation.

But according to ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers and the rest of the NFL could see a nice bump according to buzz coming out of the owner’s meetings.

The NFL conducted its labor seminar during this week’s owners meetings in Irving, Texas,” Fowler wrote. “Team officials would have loved to walk away from the session with a set salary cap for 2025, but they didn’t get one. That usually comes closer to free agency. Still, a few team officials predicted that the cap would land around $275 million, roughly an 8% increase from the $255.4 million figure in 2024.

The Steelers have four positions to address in the offseason where this extra cap space can help. The front office needs to decide between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson as the quarterback of the future, whether they can afford running back Najee Harris and contract extensions for wide receiver George Pickens and edge defender T.J. Watt.

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15 Steelers free agents who remain unsigned

The Pittsburgh Steelers have put on a free agency show like they have never done before this offseason. Many critical voids have been filled, and things have been quiet with the NFL draft just over three weeks away. Pittsburgh has 15 free agents who …

The Pittsburgh Steelers have put on a free agency show like they have never done before this offseason. Many critical voids have been filled, and things have been quiet with the NFL draft just over three weeks away.

Pittsburgh has 15 free agents who remain without a team — linebackers chief among them. Given how recent seasons have played out, it seems the Steelers can’t have enough quality depth there. Re-signing guys like Markus Golden and Kwon Alexander might be a smart move.

Here are the former Steelers players who could (or not) make their way back to the Steel City.

Steelers announce OL J.C. Hassenauer inked ERFA tender

G/C J.C. Hassenauer has signed his one-year exclusive rights free agent tender.

A very important piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line depth is locked in for another season.

Offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer signed his one-year exclusive rights free agent tender on Tuesday, the team announced.

Hassenauer was signed to the Steelers practice squad in 2019 and has been a mainstay since. Per Pro Football Reference, he’s played in 28 games over two seasons with seven starts.

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Three 2021 Steelers free agents that need extensions this offseason

The Steelers have several free agents to look at this offseason for beyond 2020.

With NFL free agency just days away, most teams are focused on what they need to do with their current crop of free agents. But with every team, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, you must always look ahead to the following year’s group of free agents in hopes of getting a few top-tier guys signed to extensions before they can hit the streets.

The Steelers don’t have much to work with in terms of salary cap this offseason but it doesn’t change their goals. It just means they have to get creative with their contracts to make it happen.

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Here are the top three guys the Steelers should try and lock up this offseason.

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Despite having a down 2019, Smith-Schuster’s pedigree speaks for itself. With a healthy return of Ben Roethlisberger, you can be assured Smith-Schuster will have a huge bounceback season.

CB Joe Haden

Haden is the ageless wonder and seems to be playing his best football. The Steelers will have a tough decision to make if they want to extend him again and keep the cornerback unit in place.

CB Cam Sutton

As a backup plan, if the Steelers aren’t going to try to lock up Haden early, they might be able to get Sutton a long-term contract without overpaying. Sutton came on last season and only lost reps because of how good Mike Hilton is in the slot.

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4 Steelers who could be cap casualties in 2020

These four Steelers could soon become free agents.

(AP Photo/Tom Puskar)

The business of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 season has already started. Even though free agency hasn’t officially started, you can bet the front office is hard at work trying to sort out who stays and who goes this offseason.

Here are the four big cap casualties for this offseason.

LB Mark Barron – $5.2 million ($2.8 million dead cap)

Barron was signed as a free agent but has never played up to his contract. He often looks lost out there and his effort is low in comparison to his teammates. With more than $5 million in cap savings and Vince Williams already on the roster, it’s hard to see Barron staying.

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