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Brooke Pryor
Welcome to Omar Khan season.
With free agency less than a month away, the Steelers have significant decisions to make on their 24 free agents — and on a handful of potential cut candidates that could clear space for a top-dollar wide receiver, defensive lineman or even a quarterback. The big decision for general manager Khan, who has a reputation for driving a tough bargain and working the cap, is getting the best quarterback deal possible. But the Steelers have 22 other free agents to sift through. Let’s put on our GM hats and make some decisions.
Run it back
Team owner Art Rooney II said he’d prefer to sign either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson to a multiyear deal this offseason.
“Both Russ and Justin showed promise in certain stretches during the season, and I think they’re both capable of being starters in this league,” Rooney said in January. “So we have decisions, and they have decisions, too.”
Fields, though, appears to be the best choice, especially if the Steelers can lock him in before he hits the open market. Quarterback-needy teams will undoubtedly overpay for a signal-caller and could drive up Fields’ price. Signing him before the league’s legal tampering period should be the team’s top priority.
With Najee Harris probably gone in free agency, retaining Jaylen Warren to be the team’s top back should be a priority. Warren is a restricted free agent, meaning the Steelers can work out a new deal prior to free agency or place a tender on him and match any offer. A second-round tender is valued at $5.2 million per OverTheCap.com, meaning if Warren signed that tender he would cost $5.2 million against the cap. An original round tender/right of first refusal projects at $3.185 million. Dealing with lingering injuries, Warren wasn’t as productive in 2024 and finished with a career-low 4.3 yards per carry. But he was a frequent and effective target in the passing game and had a career-high 8.2 yards per reception.
Another player the Steelers should bring back is wide receiver Ben Skowronek. He’s hardly a WR2 option, but he’s a gritty player who came up big on special teams throughout the season. He had just five targets in 10 games, but he caught all five of those passes and averaged 13.8 yards per reception. Likely a bargain signing, Skowronek has all the hallmarks of an old school Steeler to make him an important guy to bring back.
On defense, the Steelers should make a strong push to retain inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. Depth and versatility made the ILB corps one of the team’s strengths in 2024, and retaining Roberts to keep the core of Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson and Roberts together would go a long way to keeping that strength in 2025. Cole Holcomb, who missed the entire season recovering from a significant knee injury sustained in 2023, could return to the lineup in 2025. But because of that injury, Holcomb’s ability to be a three-down linebacker isn’t entirely clear. Roberts, affectionately called a “tooth-chipper” by Mike Tomlin, is not only one of the team’s best run-stoppers, but he also sets the tone as a Super Bowl-winning veteran.
Some players are only worth bringing back if the price is right. James Daniels, for example, is someone the Steelers should absolutely take a swing at re-signing, but he could price himself out of Pittsburgh. The right guard was one of the Steelers’ best offensive linemen when he went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 4. Rookie Mason McCormick played well for part of the season once inserted into the lineup, but he struggled against better defensive fronts late in the year. Daniels’ injury could keep the market from heating up and make him easier to re-sign in Pittsburgh. If Daniels is unwilling to return — or too expensive — the Steelers could re-sign C/G Nate Herbig or C Ryan McCollum for interior depth.
Donte Jackson is another if-the-price-is-right player. Jackson was productive early in the season with a career-high five interceptions, but as the secondary broke down late in the season, so, too, did Jackson. The corner battled a serious, lingering back injury late in the year that caused him to miss two games. If capable of getting back to full health, Jackson is worth considering.
And perhaps the most outside-the-box suggestion to bring back: WR Mike Williams. Outside of the game-winning catch against the Commanders, Williams had an unremarkable Steelers’ tenure after the trade-deadline acquisition. But he showed flashes of impressive playmaking and ability to be a vertical threat. If the Steelers commit to integrating him into the game plan, he could be a solid WR3.
Other players the Steelers should consider keeping around if the price is right include safety Damontae Kazee, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Tyler Matakevich and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson. All are decent depth pieces or special teamers and should be relatively inexpensive.
Let ’em walk
Signing Fields in this scenario means letting Wilson walk. Despite Wilson expressing a desire to stick with Pittsburgh — “I’m looking forward to hopefully going back to the Steelers and we’ll see what happens with the rest,” he said during Pro Bowl festivities — not only is Wilson nearly a decade older than Fields, but he also struggled to consistently move the ball late in the season. He finished with 16 touchdowns to five interceptions, but was sacked 33 times in 11 starts. Though Wilson’s moon ball jump-started the Steelers’ offense midway through the season, Fields has a higher upside and is probably less expensive.
In addition to Wilson, the Steelers should let left tackle Dan Moore Jr., Harris and Van Jefferson walk. Though Moore was steady through most of his four-year tenure as a starter, the Steelers have an in-house upgrade ready to go in either Broderick Jones or Troy Fautanu. As a competent left tackle, Moore probably will get a decent payday on the open market, and the Steelers need to use their first-round tackle investments.
As for Harris, the former first-round pick managed to eclipse 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Pittsburgh, but he averaged 3.9 yards per attempt in that span. Harris never missed a game in his tenure, playing through a foot injury at the beginning of the 2022 season. But his inefficient run style makes it difficult to justify an investment, especially with the team’s success landing Warren as a UDFA in 2022.
Other players the Steelers should let hit the open market include Jefferson, defensive back Cameron Sutton, tight end MyCole Pruitt, wide receiver Scotty Miller and guard Max Scharping.
While both Sutton and Pruitt were somewhat significant contributors, the Steelers can save money and upgrade both positions. Sutton was at the epicenter of several miscommunications in the secondary late in the season. And while Pruitt added six catches for 40 yards and a touchdown, the Steelers have a strong tight end corps in Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. Pruitt’s inclusion seemed to take away from opportunities Freiermuth and Washington, and each has more upside than the 10-year veteran and Arthur Smith disciple.
Cut them loose
In addition to making decisions about their impending free agents, the Steelers also have a handful of potential cut candidates to evaluate. A year ago, the Steelers released six players prior to free agency, freeing up cap space and giving the released players a chance to land somewhere as the league opened up for business.
This year, they could preemptively add cap space by parting with a handful of players before March 12.
The biggest savings could come by moving on from trade deadline acquisition Preston Smith, who was a healthy scratch in two of the Steelers’ three final games, including the wild-card loss in Baltimore. Releasing Smith would save the Steelers $13.4 million in 2025 and $14.1 million in 2026. Smith initially appeared to be a solid depth acquisition for the pass-rusher group, but he finished with only two sacks and 13 tackles in 161 snaps over eight games.
Releasing Larry Ogunjobi and Holcomb also would create significant space. Ogunjobi, who frequently battled injuries, played in 15 games in 2024 and had 1.5 sacks, 41 tackles and seven quarterback hits. The defensive line is a significant area of need in both free agency and the draft, but the Steelers could save $7 million in cap space in 2025 by releasing Ogunjobi. And cutting Holcomb, who missed the season on the PUP list, would save $6 million.
By releasing that trio of defenders, the Steelers could save more than $26 million in 2025.
There are also several smaller moves that could save more cap space.
Moving on from running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson would save $2.8 million in cap space. Patterson was signed soon after the NFL adopted the dynamic kickoff rules in an effort to give the Steelers a more robust return game. But Patterson, 34, had 11 returns for only 240 yards, averaging 21.8 yards per return. The team used Warren as a returner, too, and he averaged 25.2 yards per return in his first season as a kick returner. Though he missed four games with an ankle injury, Patterson also played 110 offensive snaps and averaged 4.2 yards per carry and 6.7 yards per reception.
The Steelers also have a decision to make at punter and could save cap space by moving on from either Corliss Waitman or Cameron Johnston. Waitman, signed after Johnston’s season-ending injury, is the cheaper option of the two, counting just $1.1 million against the cap in 2025. But prior to his injury, Johnston averaged 51.5 yards in two punts in the season-opener. Waitman averaged 46.4 yards per punt after taking over duties the rest of the season. Cutting Johnston, who averaged 47.7 yards per punt in 2023, after June 1 would save the Steelers $2.5 million in cap space in each of the next two seasons.