The Steelers and linebacker Cole Holcomb have agreed to a revised contract, keeping him in Pittsburgh for the 2025 season.
According to NFL Network, the new contract will clear $4 million in cap space, putting the team an estimated $63.8 million under the salary cap.
Holcomb, 29, was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $18-million contract, which would have come with a $7.64-million cap hit in 2025. Because he has missed every game since sustaining a major knee injury in Week 9 of the 2023 season, and the $6 million of potential cap savings, Holcomb was initially thought to be a potential cut candidate.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've heard that cutting Holcomb was less and less likely. Clearly the Steelers value what he brings to the linebacker room, both as a player and leader. Prior to his injury in 2023, Holcomb had recorded 54 tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in just eight games. Holcomb rehabbed his knee at the Steelers facility throughout the 2024 season, in which he sat in on team meetings and stayed connected and engaged with his teammates in a variety of ways.
It's also worth noting that Omar Khan also said in Indianapolis last week that Holcomb would have been able to return from his injury had the Steelers played deeper into the playoffs. That would indicate Holcomb is now fully past the injury, which the details are still not fully known.
Keeping Holcomb provides a boost to the linebacker position, which also includes Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. When Holcomb's healthy, he's a legitimate NFL linebacker who plays strong against the run and is more than adequate in coverage. It'll be interesting to see if the Steelers entertain a reunion with Elandon Roberts, who expresses a strong interest in returning at season's end.
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
4:55 pm - 03.06.2025DowntownHolcomb agrees to revised contract
The Steelers and linebacker Cole Holcomb have agreed to a revised contract, keeping him in Pittsburgh for the 2025 season.
According to NFL Network, the new contract will clear $4 million in cap space, putting the team an estimated $63.8 million under the salary cap.
Holcomb, 29, was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $18-million contract, which would have come with a $7.64-million cap hit in 2025. Because he has missed every game since sustaining a major knee injury in Week 9 of the 2023 season, and the $6 million of potential cap savings, Holcomb was initially thought to be a potential cut candidate.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've heard that cutting Holcomb was less and less likely. Clearly the Steelers value what he brings to the linebacker room, both as a player and leader. Prior to his injury in 2023, Holcomb had recorded 54 tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in just eight games. Holcomb rehabbed his knee at the Steelers facility throughout the 2024 season, in which he sat in on team meetings and stayed connected and engaged with his teammates in a variety of ways.
It's also worth noting that Omar Khan also said in Indianapolis last week that Holcomb would have been able to return from his injury had the Steelers played deeper into the playoffs. That would indicate Holcomb is now fully past the injury, which the details are still not fully known.
Keeping Holcomb provides a boost to the linebacker position, which also includes Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. When Holcomb's healthy, he's a legitimate NFL linebacker who plays strong against the run and is more than adequate in coverage. It'll be interesting to see if the Steelers entertain a reunion with Elandon Roberts, who expresses a strong interest in returning at season's end.
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