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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — With an unprecedented leaguewide $30 million increase in the salary cap and the release of a handful of veterans, the Pittsburgh Steelers enter general manager Omar Khan’s second free agency with some money to spend. Even so, the Steelers aren’t a franchise that opens the checkbook for outside free agents.
A year ago, their biggest free agent contract was awarded to returning defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi in a front-loaded three-year, $28.75 million deal. But Khan was more aggressive than his predecessor in acquiring several starting-caliber players including Patrick Peterson, Isaac Seumalo, Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb.
The Steelers have a similar positional wish list to the one from 2023: inside linebacker, cornerback, offensive line and safety. Quarterback, of course, is a significant position of need, but Khan would have to significantly deviate from the Steelers’ standard business practices to bring in an available top-tier quarterback. Here’s what to expect from the Steelers when the league’s legal tampering period opens on Monday at noon ET.
Return of the Khan artist?
Hired in May 2022, Khan earned a reputation as a wheeling-and-dealing general manager throughout his first year in the position with moves such as flipping wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears for what turned out to be the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 draft, but the magnum opus of his first year came in free agency.
Typically a conservative team in their approach to adding outside free agents, the Steelers kicked off the 2023 legal tampering period by agreeing to terms with veteran cornerback Peterson. From there, Khan not only reshaped the inside linebacker room by signing Holcomb and Roberts, but he also inked former Eagles guard Seumalo to further bolster the offensive line, a group that struggled to find consistency following the departures of mainstays like center Maurkice Pouncey and guards David DeCastro and Ramon Foster.
Then, he followed up free agency with a draft class that included three players who started multiple games in their rookie campaigns: tackle Broderick Jones, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.
With a full year at the helm of the organization under his belt, Khan is ready for his encore and all the expectations that come with it.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be right about everything,” Khan said in Indianapolis. “I know that’s not possible, but you just try to make the right decision with everything.”
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You, again
Put away your photoshops of Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins in a Steelers jersey. Delete that edit of Justin Fields in black and gold. While Khan has modernized the Steelers’ free agency approach — and explicitly didn’t rule those options out — it’s unlikely the team pursues a big-name free agent or orchestrates a trade to fill out the quarterback room beyond 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
Instead, look for the quarterback addition to be a familiar face, either to new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith or to the organization. There’s mutual interest between free-agent-to-be Mason Rudolph and the Steelers, but the price and the situation have to be right. Fresh off a three-game winning streak to end the regular season, Rudolph has suitors around the league. But the 2018 third-round pick prefers a landing spot that offers a fair shot to compete for the starting job. With the Steelers vowing to bring in competition for Pickett, that could very well be in Pittsburgh.
Two years ago, the organization signed now-released Mitch Trubisky to a two-year, $14.2 million deal. With last year’s offseason extension, Trubisky had a cap hit of $7.6 million in 2024 prior to his release. That could be a guide for a potential deal that keeps Rudolph in Pittsburgh.
If Rudolph doesn’t stay with the Steelers, the team could pursue former Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who worked with Smith in Tennessee. Though ankle injuries resulted in abbreviated 2022 and 2023 seasons, Tannehill played at a high level as recently as 2021, when he threw for 3,734 yards with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. And in Smith’s final season as offensive coordinator in 2021, Tannehill threw for 3,819 yards with 33 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
That season, Tannehill and the passing game got a big boost from a complementary run game anchored by Derrick Henry, who earned his lone first-team All-Pro nod that year. The Steelers have another Alabama running back on the roster in Najee Harris, making Pittsburgh and its offense a favorable fit for Tannehill, who will turn 36 prior to the 2024 season.
Money, money, money
While the Steelers are projected to be under the cap when the new league year starts, they’ll still likely need to make some moves to free up more space. That would not only give them more wiggle room for the free agent and draft classes, but it could also open the door to sign tight end Pat Freiermuth to an extension — a move that wouldn’t likely happen until later in the offseason.
Wide receiver Allen Robinson II carries an $11.9 million cap hit in 2024 but moving on from him would save about $10 million. The Steelers will almost certainly have to restructure and/or extend 34-year-old defensive captain Cameron Heyward, who has a $22.4 million cap hit in the final year of his four-year, $65 million contract. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a frequent subject of trade block fodder, carries a $15 million cap hit in the final year of his contract, making him another extension — or yes, trade — candidate. And even Ogunjobi, the recipient of a big contract last free agency, could be a restructure candidate with his $13.2 million cap hit in 2024 and $10.5 million in 2025.
Defensive déjà vu?
Khan’s first free agent class included starting caliber players at inside linebacker, safety, defensive line and cornerback. This time around, the Steelers’ needs are largely the same.
Though Roberts is slated to return, the rest of the inside linebacker position has less clarity. Holcomb is under contract through 2025, but he’s in the midst of a lengthy recovery process from a serious knee injury sustained in Week 9. Kwon Alexander is a free agent again after signing a one-year deal in training camp, but his timeline of availability is also unclear following an Achilles tear suffered in Week 10. The Steelers finished the season relying on one-time retirees Myles Jack and Blake Martinez, along with second-year player Mark Robinson and former Atlanta Falcons ‘backer Mykal Walker to fill out the position.
“I remember Coach Tomlin and I leaving Latrobe, and we were like, ‘Man, we feel really good about this inside linebacker position,” Khan said. “We had three capable starters in Kwon, Cole and Elandon, and then we felt good about where Mark Rob was, and then all of a sudden you get hit by these injuries, and next thing you know, you’re scrambling and you’re grabbing guys off the couch. … hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
Former Raven Patrick Queen is available, but more realistic targets could include Houston’s Blake Cashman, Kansas City’s Drue Tranquill or Minnesota’s Jordan Hicks.
In the secondary, the Steelers are still on the hunt for an elite cornerback to pair with Porter. Peterson turned out to be valuable not only as a mentor for Porter and the defensive backs, but also as a versatile player capable of sliding over to safety after suspensions and injuries decimated the position. Once one of the best corners in the game, Peterson isn’t as effective at 33, and a deep cornerback class offers an opportunity to upgrade the spot opposite of Porter.
It would be uncharacteristic for the Steelers to pursue a trade for franchise-tagged Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed or a deal with top-dollar free agent Jaylon Johnson, but it’s worth keeping an eye on former Pitt Panther and Pittsburgh-area native Dane Jackson, who started 28 games in Buffalo over three seasons. Other names to watch: Adoree’ Jackson and Kendall Fuller.
Line ’em up
The Steelers emphasized the offensive line rebuild in 2023 with the free agent additions of Seumalo and Nate Herbig and the trade to nab Broderick Jones in the NFL draft. The work, though, isn’t done. The Steelers could opt to continue building out the line through this year’s draft, but after releasing starting center Mason Cole and announcing an intention to eventually move Jones to left tackle, the team is on the hunt for a new starting center and right tackle. The Steelers have some possible solutions on the roster in Herbig and 2021 fourth-round draft pick Dan Moore Jr., but the team undoubtedly needs more options.
There’s a strong group of centers in the 2024 draft, but the Steelers could get a head start on finding their next starting center in free agency by signing someone like Lloyd Cushenberry, Connor Williams — who’s coming off a late-season ACL tear — or former Titan Aaron Brewer, who played under Smith. There’s also Matt Hennessy, a center-turned-guard who was with Smith in Atlanta and missed the 2023 season with a knee injury.
With the release of Chukwuma Okorafor, the Steelers will also be on the hunt for a right tackle to pair with Jones, but starting-caliber tackles can get pricey. The Steelers could kick the tires on former Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Williams, who moved from left to right tackle last season, and has 59 NFL starts under his belt.
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