The Steelers have several spots on the roster to address this offseason, beginning with their own impending free agents. Cam Sutton, Terrell Edmunds and Larry Ogunjobi headline this group, and it would be a massive win for the Steelers if they could somehow bring back the entire trio.
One way Omar Khan could keep at least one of them in black and gold is with a franchise or transition tag.
The window for teams to designate their franchise or transition players opened on Tuesday, and teams have until 4:00 p.m. on March 7 to make their final decision. And while this is a means to nearly guarantee the return of one of their unrestricted free agents, it'll cost the Steelers quite a bit in cap space to do so.
First, before we take a look at each player's situation, there are three options the Steelers could use to try and keep one of these players in Pittsburgh:
• Exclusive Franchise Tag: The designated player receives a one-year contract for the average of the top-five salaries of the players at his position in the current year, or 120% of his previous salary, whichever number is higher. Players with an exclusive tag cannot negotiate with other teams.
• Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag: The designated player receives a one-year contract determined by the average of the top-five salaries of the players at his position from the previous five years applied to the current salary cap, or 120% of his previous salary, whichever number is higher. Players with a non-exclusive tag can negotiate with other teams. The tagging team has the right to match any offer from another team. If it refuses to match, the tagging team is awarded two first-round picks as compensation.
• Transition Tag: The designated player receives a one-year contract that pays the average of the top-10 salaries at his position in the prior season, or 120% of the previous year’s salary, whichever number is higher. A player designated with the transition tag can negotiate with other teams, and the tagging team has the right to match any other offer. But, unlike the non-exclusive franchise tag, the team does not get any compensation if it refuses to match.
Non-exclusive tags are significantly more popular than exclusive tags due to lower salaries and the high cost of two first-round picks. Transition tags are also a good way for teams to try and retain a player at a cheaper cost, though the risk of losing a player without any compensation makes the process much less of a guarantee that the player returns.
Here's what it would cost to bring back Sutton, Edmunds or Ogunjobi. Remember, NFL teams can only designate one player under a franchise or transition tag, and they certainly don't have to designate anyone if they don't want to.
CAM SUTTON
• Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag: $18,140,000
• Transition Tag: $15,791,000
• Spotrac's Projected Market Value: Three years, $22,914,926 ($7.6 million AAV)
• PFF's Projected Market Value: Three years, $25,500,000 ($8.5 million AAV)
Sutton will be the most sought after unrestricted free agent coming out of Pittsburgh. He plays a premium position, and has arguably the most versatility in the class at the position. As I previously wrote, I would go with Pro Football Focus' higher average annual value projection for whatever contract Sutton could get on the market. Cornerback is a highly-valued position, and Sutton has a rare blend of experience, versatility and is trending in the right direction as he hits the open market.
However, the Steelers could nearly guarantee Sutton's return by slapping the non-exclusive franchise tag on him. This, however, would cost the Steelers at least twice the amount toward the 2023 cap, if not more, than whatever multiyear contract could lure Sutton back to Pittsburgh. Even if the market forced the Steelers to go as high as $10 million AAV, it would still cost significantly less than a franchise or transition tag.
Of course, the Steelers could take the risk of designating Sutton with the non-exclusive tag and negotiate another long-term contract before he signs the tender -- one that not only keeps him in Pittsburgh long-term, but also keeps his 2023 cap hit far below the $18.14-million hit he'd carry under the franchise tag.
TERRELL EDMUNDS
• Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag: $14,460,000
• Transition Tag: $11,867,000
• Spotrac's Projected Market Value: Two years, $10,905,172 ($5.4 million AAV)
• PFF's Projected Market Value: N/A
Edmunds certainly raised his value after a solid 2022 campaign, and should earn a multiyear contract this offseason because of it.
The former first-round pick hasn't quite played up to that expectation, but there's always room for a player that does all of the dirty work so a star such as Minkah Fitzpatrick can shine. It's just not worth the price tag of a franchise or transition tag.
Edmunds should and will probably earn a two- or three-year deal on the free agent market. The Steelers will make Sutton a priority, which could give Edmunds and the team time to gauge his market. If the cost is right, the Steelers would love to retain him and keep the duo in the back end intact.
However, that most likely won't be done by designating Edmunds as a franchise or transition player.
LARRY OGUNJOBI
• Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag: $18,937,000
• Transition Tag: $16,068,000
• Spotrac's Projected Market Value: Two years, $6,902,816 ($3.4 million AAV)
• PFF's Projected Market Value: Three years, $30,000,000 ($10 million AAV)
Perhaps the most likely player to receive a franchise or transition designation, Ogunjobi's return would provide some stability on a defensive line that drastically improved against the run in 2022.
Yes, Spotrac and PFF disagree on what Ogunjobi will earn on the open market. But, looking throughout the league, the cost for solid interior defenders is going up because they are coming more and more at a premium. Based on that, regardless of the injury concerns surrounding Ogunjobi, I'm inclined to believe PFF's projection is a better barometer for what it might take to re-sign him.
That's where the franchise or transition tag comes into play, perhaps the latter as the more likely scenario. Yes, a $16-million cap hit would be a high price to pay to solidify the defensive line in 2023. But, it gives Ogunjobi the right to pursue another contract -- one that the Steelers have a chance to match.
Now, it remains to be seen if any player will be tagged, and there's a good chance the Steelers don't tag any player. But, based off the projected costs, Ogunjobi is probably the most likely candidate. At least, the most likely to be tagged and play under it without a new, long-term contract.
FINAL THOUGHTS
• It's important to remember that other teams could use the franchise or transition tag to hold onto a player that the Steelers may covet in free agency. The most significant example is Buffalo's Tremaine Edmunds. PFF projects Edmunds to earn a four-year contract with a $17.5-million AAV in free agency. While the non-exclusive franchise tag for linebackers is second to only quarterbacks at $20,926,000, the transition tag is right in that projected ballpark at $17,478,000.
Now, any rival suitor could still negotiate with Edmunds' representation and outbid the Bills if they slapped the transition tag on him, and there'd be no compensation to worry about. However, it could very well drive up an already projected high price for any suitor as Edmunds is already one of the top off ball linebackers in this year's free agent class.
• Yes, that same number it would take for the Bills to bring back Edmunds on the franchise or transition tag is the same number for linebackers across the league. That's why you don't see Devin Bush or Robert Spillane listed as Steelers' candidates here.
• The last Steelers player to play under the franchise tag was Bud Dupree in 2020 before he left for Tennessee via free agency.
• If a player is tagged, he and the team have until July 15 to negotiate another contract, especially if the player wants something long term. Once the tender is signed, the non-negotiated number is set in stone and fully guaranteed.
• No, a player doesn't have to sign the franchise or transition tender. Many in Pittsburgh learned that the hard way when Le'Veon Bell refused to sign his second consecutive tender in 2018 and sat out the entire season because he didn't get the long-term contract he desired from the Steelers.
• In some free agent news, the Steelers re-signed long snapper Christian Kuntz to a one-year contract on Wednesday. He was an exclusive rights free agent, meaning the Steelers only had to offer him a league-minimum deal to keep exclusive rights to him. Kuntz has two years of NFL experience, so his contract will be worth at least $940,000.
