No matter the sport, free agency provides players opportunities.
For those struggling to find or keep a job, the NFL's unrestricted free agency gives them a chance to prove themselves. For the accomplished players, free agency gives them a chance at life-changing money.
The Steelers have 18 players about to hit unrestricted free agency, and there are several of those players that Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin would love to retain. And likewise, some of those players would love to return to Pittsburgh.
"For sure. This is home base," Terrell Edmunds, one of the Steelers' unrestricted free agents, said during locker clean out day. "They gave me the opportunity to do what I love. They gave me the opportunity to be an NFL player, and I can’t say thank you enough for that. If they do offer me another deal, of course, I would definitely try to make things work and go from there."
However, it's not that simple.
Some fans think loyalty to a franchise should go a long way when players weigh their decisions in free agency. And, in Edmunds' case, the Steelers are the only team he's played for over the first five years of his NFL career. And after declining his fifth-year option only to sign him to a much more team-friendly deal after getting to survey the free agent market, Edmunds returned on a one-year "prove it" deal, and he came through.
Edmunds turned in perhaps the best season of his career in 2022. Maybe it wasn't his best by sheer numbers, but his versatility in both pass and run defense made him a very valuable piece in the Steelers' three-safety package. In other words, he did all of the dirty work that allowed a star such as Minkah Fitzpatrick to shine and turn in his third first-team All-Pro season. And, Edmunds did all of that with only a $1.188-million cap hit.
Now, Edmunds will get the chance to cash in on that performance. Needless to say, his agent's phone should be much more busy than it was a year ago.
"It’s just all ups and downs," Edmunds said about going through the free agency process an offseason ago. "You never really know what’s really the right move until you just make it sometimes."
Edmunds just turned 26 years old. He proved himself as a reliable piece for the back end of just about any defense in the NFL. And, there's no guarantee he'll get the chance to earn a multiyear deal again. 26 seems as if it's young enough, but in a game like football, there are never guarantees.
If another team wants to outbid for a player that can force incompletions on 13% of targets (one less than Fitzpatrick) while also providing strong support for the run defense from the back end, why wouldn't Edmunds consider it?
In fact, many of the Steelers impending unrestricted free agents have to weight all factors in their upcoming decisions. Players such as Edmunds, Cam Sutton, Robert Spillane and Chris Wormley all were very vocal in their love for Pittsburgh and the Steelers organization. And, it wouldn't be the most shocking development if the Steelers retained all four of these players. There will be cap space to fit them all into their 2023 plans, even with Edmunds and Sutton earning rightful pay raises.
While he doesn't necessarily have the same pedigree as an Edmunds or a Sutton going into free agency, Wormley provided some great insight into the balance between loyalty to a franchise and pure business decisions. For players that form a bond with an organization, it's a difficult line to walk.
"I love it here in Pittsburgh," Wormley told me. "I love the system I'm in. I love Mike T. I love my teammates. So, when you talk about maybe team discounts and all that, like, to an extent. But, I still have 60 years of my life to live, and I need to be able to have this money last. So yeah, when you start to think about it like that, it's not just this kid's game that I've been playing for 20 years. It's my wife and daughter, and what's going on for the next six decades of my life."
But, Wormley then made sure to finish by saying, "I love it here and I'd be very eager to be back here. I'll say that."
It's not easy for a lot of players that make decisions that will ultimately impact their career, for better or worse. Much like Edmunds did on his one-year deal where he raised his stock, Wormley's used the past two seasons to raise his stock. He finished with seven sacks when the Steelers' defensive line was gutted with injuries in 2021. And in 2022, Wormley really improved as a run defender serving in a role behind Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi. The folks at Pro Football Focus gave Wormley the same run defense grade as Heyward, which tied for sixth among qualifying interior linemen.
Now, Wormley won't get paid with the top tier defensive linemen. First off, he wasn't a starter for the Steelers. Second, and perhaps more important, Wormley is coming off an ACL tear suffered in Week 14 against the Ravens. Wormley told me he was feeling really good about his free agency prospects before suffering that injury. And, that makes this upcoming decision even more important for Wormley, who will turn 30 before the end of the 2023 season.
"I think when I was a free agent two years ago, the Steelers were really the only team that made a decent offer," Wormley told me. "And I think when it comes down to it, I don't think anybody in this game would play the game for free. When you talk about (free agency), I'm thinking about my family now, you know? I'm not a single guy. I'm getting up there now. So when you talk about money, that's obviously really important."
Perhaps the Steelers will be the only team that once again makes a decent offer. Perhaps a division rival saw enough of Wormley to decide that they might want to take away from the Steelers' depth up front and increase their own.
And, it's important to note that Edmunds and Wormley are just two of the 18 unrestricted free agents on the Steelers, not to mention the dozens of others from around the league. Everyone's case is different. Some players need a change of scenery. Some players badly want to stay where they are. But, money is the key variable that heavily impacts the answer to each equation.
Free agency isn't easy for NFL teams to deal with. Khan and the Steelers will want to hold onto as many of their own players as possible. And, it sure sounds like a lot of those players would love to return. But, as we've seen in years past, players sometimes price themselves out of what the Steelers can fit under the salary cap.
The Steelers will have tough decisions to make in the coming weeks before free agency begins in mid-March. But, it's important to remember that the players will too.
