After picking up Minkah Fitzpatrick's fifth-year option last Tuesday, the Steelers declined to do the same for his fellow safety Terrell Edmunds, as reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network:
The #Steelers are declining the fifth-year option on safety Terrell Edmunds, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 3, 2021
Edmunds' fifth-year option would've cost the team approximately $6.7 million against their 2022 salary cap, which would've brought the team's estimated cap space for that season down to approximately $68.2 million.
After his third season, Edmunds showed improvement over his career with eight pass breakups and two interceptions in 2020. He also allowed only 29 catches of 53 targets for only 347 yards and two touchdowns across his 15 games and 20 starts last season. His 54.7 percent on completions allowed and his missed tackle percentage of 8.6 percent were both the lowest of his career.
Being of the same draft year as Fitzpatrick made this an anticipated tricky decision for the Steelers, as both their fifth-year options would become due this offseason as they were first round picks from the 2018 NFL Draft. Fitzpatrick's option cost the Steelers approximately $10.6 million against their 2022 salary cap, which means adding Edmunds would put the team investing over $17 million in cap space in their starting safety pair.
Edmunds isn't in the class of Fitzpatrick, a back-to-back First Team All-Pro free safety. But he does bring good value to the Steelers as a strong safety that can help in deep coverage, have the size at 6-foot-1, 217 lbs. to challenge bigger receiving threats like tight ends, and the athleticism to run with quicker receiving threats out of the backfield. That versatility has made him a good chess piece in the Steelers' defense.
The declining of his option doesn't mean Edmunds' future with the team is undoubtedly over after 2021, but it does call into question what their plans might be at strong safety. Their 2021 NFL Draft class didn't address the secondary until the seventh round, so it stands to reason the Steelers might work to keep more defensive backs around.
