When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers offseason, the team has two significant contracts to consider. Cornerback Cameron Sutton is an unrestricted free agent and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith is headed into his final season and will be looking for an extension and a big raise off of his rookie contract.
We don’t have any numbers yet as it pertains to the 2023 salary cap but it is hard to imagine both players getting a contract in the same offseason.
So the question of the day is how to the Steelers prioritize these contracts. The Steelers have options. They could give Sutton, the team’s true No. 1 shutdown cornerback a fair market contract this offseason to be sure he stays with the team. This would likely mean Pittsburgh doesn’t negotiate with Highsmith and lets him play out his rookie deal.
Another option is to give Highsmith an extension and let Sutton walk but I don’t see any way that happens. More realistic might be Highsmith gets his new deal and Sutton plays 2023 on the franchise tag.
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Cast your vote and tell us who you think ends up the top free-agent priority for the Steelers this offseason. For us, we want to see Sutton get paid like a No. 1 cornerback and see what happens with Highsmith in 2023. Highsmith had a huge season in 2022 but it would be ideal to see how he follows that up before committing to him long-term.
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