It shouldn't surprise anyone, but the Steelers cleared up a couple more of their pending issues prior to free agency, signing linebacker Robert Spillane as an exclusive rights free agent and declining to tender offers to restricted free agents Ola Adeniyi and Jerald Hawkins.
As an exclusive rights free agent, Spillane was unable to negotiate with any other teams. So, his signing was simply procedural. The Steelers also signed exclusive rights free agents J.C. Hassenauer last week.
Spillane, who made the Steelers' roster as a special teams ace following his release by the Titans, started seven games for the Steelers in 2020 after Devin Bush was injured, recording 45 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
He will make $780,000 in 2021.
The decision to decline a tender on Adeniyi and Hawkins were no unexpected.
A first-round tender would have cost $4.766 million, while a second-round tender would have been $3.384 million. The Steelers also could have gone with a right of first refusal tender, but that still would have meant both players received $2.133 million this season, too much for a team that is tight against the salary cap to pay for a backup.
Both Adeniyi and Hawkins will now become unrestricted free agents Wednesday, though the Steelers could sign them to a lesser deal as they did with linebacker Marcus Allen last week.
Allen, who also was headed toward free agency, instead signed a one-year deal with the team for $850,000.
