The Steelers are in the early stages of looking for the 17th head coach in franchise history. That's started with a list of eight candidates, and a few more are expected to be added to it. Regardless of who lands the job, there will be some key decisions to make once the ink dries on the contract.
There are some big contracts to consider, including T.J. Watt ($42 million cap hit) and Jalen Ramsey ($19.5 million cap hit). The head coach will likely need to sort through not only if these players will fit in his system, but how many dollars are allocated to the defensive side of the ball. And, none of what Ramsey has left on the books is guaranteed, so he can be released and have that $19.5 million immediately freed up with no dead cap.
However, a bigger task is how to handle free agency. Despite the few larger contracts on the books, the Steelers still enter the offseason with an estimated $41.88 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. That's a good place to start, but it can dry up pretty quickly. Not only do the Steelers need to decide who of their existing free agents they'd like to try and keep, but also need room to spend to add external free agents and potentially work out extensions with players heading into the final year of their respective rookie contracts, such as Joey Porter Jr.
For starters, here are the Steelers' pending free agents and who they could realistically try to keep:
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Players who have accrued four NFL seasons and no longer under contract are unrestricted free agents (UFA) and are free to sign with any another team, starting on March 9. These players also factor into the compensatory draft pick formula:
• WR Calvin Austin III • S Chuck Clark • OL Jack Driscoll • SS Kyle Dugger • DT Daniel Ekuale • RB Kenneth Gainwell • TE Connor Heyward • LB Cole Holcomb • SS Miles Killebrew • DT Isaiahh Loudermilk • DT Dean Lowry • WR Scotty Miller • TE Donald Parham • OL Andrus Peat • SS Jabrill Peppers • CB James Pierre • QB Aaron Rodgers • CB Asante Samuel Jr. • OL Max Scharping • G Isaac Seumalo • WR Adam Thielen • QB Skylar Thompson • WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The No. 1 priority here is probably Gainwell, given the level of production he gave and the way he and Jaylen Warren worked in tandem together. Gainwell is also versatile enough to play within just about any offensive system, so there's little concern there. With Tomlin out of the picture, Rodgers is as good as gone. Pierre, Samuel, Austin and Seumalo are all worth consideration, as well. Pierre and Samuel could help fortify the cornerback position, Austin would give the Steelers depth at wide receiver and Seumalo could provide continuity on the offensive line while the franchise looks for a younger player for the long term.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Players who have accrued only three NFL seasons and are not under contract are considered restricted free agents (RFA). The Steelers must tender a contract offer to their RFAs by June 1, or they will become unrestricted free agents. When tendering an offer (all one-year contracts), they can choose to place a first-round tender ($7.9 million), second-round tender ($5.7 million) or right of first refusal ($3.5 million).
One an RFA is tendered an offer, he can choose to sign the tender, negotiate a different contract or negotiate with another team. Should that player sign with another team after being tendered, the Steelers would be entitled to potential draft pick compensation. The Steelers signed Warren last offseason with a second-round tender, then later signed him to a contract extension.
• DL Esezi Otomewo • C Ryan McCollum • OLB Jeremiah Moon • P Corliss Waitman
Otomewo was a positive contributor as a depth defensive tackle and he was well-liked in the locker room. McCollum has been a quality backup to Frazier, but he mainly had a job because Pat Meyer pounded the table for him. If Meyer is gone, and I expect him to be, maybe McCollum is gone, too? Waitman was solid as a punter and could earn another contract. However, it might be worth not tendering him a contract and working out something a little cheaper instead.
THE ASYLUM
Head coach or not, big roster decisions loom
The Steelers are in the early stages of looking for the 17th head coach in franchise history. That's started with a list of eight candidates, and a few more are expected to be added to it. Regardless of who lands the job, there will be some key decisions to make once the ink dries on the contract.
There are some big contracts to consider, including T.J. Watt ($42 million cap hit) and Jalen Ramsey ($19.5 million cap hit). The head coach will likely need to sort through not only if these players will fit in his system, but how many dollars are allocated to the defensive side of the ball. And, none of what Ramsey has left on the books is guaranteed, so he can be released and have that $19.5 million immediately freed up with no dead cap.
However, a bigger task is how to handle free agency. Despite the few larger contracts on the books, the Steelers still enter the offseason with an estimated $41.88 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. That's a good place to start, but it can dry up pretty quickly. Not only do the Steelers need to decide who of their existing free agents they'd like to try and keep, but also need room to spend to add external free agents and potentially work out extensions with players heading into the final year of their respective rookie contracts, such as Joey Porter Jr.
For starters, here are the Steelers' pending free agents and who they could realistically try to keep:
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Players who have accrued four NFL seasons and no longer under contract are unrestricted free agents (UFA) and are free to sign with any another team, starting on March 9. These players also factor into the compensatory draft pick formula:
• WR Calvin Austin III
• S Chuck Clark
• OL Jack Driscoll
• SS Kyle Dugger
• DT Daniel Ekuale
• RB Kenneth Gainwell
• TE Connor Heyward
• LB Cole Holcomb
• SS Miles Killebrew
• DT Isaiahh Loudermilk
• DT Dean Lowry
• WR Scotty Miller
• TE Donald Parham
• OL Andrus Peat
• SS Jabrill Peppers
• CB James Pierre
• QB Aaron Rodgers
• CB Asante Samuel Jr.
• OL Max Scharping
• G Isaac Seumalo
• WR Adam Thielen
• QB Skylar Thompson
• WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The No. 1 priority here is probably Gainwell, given the level of production he gave and the way he and Jaylen Warren worked in tandem together. Gainwell is also versatile enough to play within just about any offensive system, so there's little concern there. With Tomlin out of the picture, Rodgers is as good as gone. Pierre, Samuel, Austin and Seumalo are all worth consideration, as well. Pierre and Samuel could help fortify the cornerback position, Austin would give the Steelers depth at wide receiver and Seumalo could provide continuity on the offensive line while the franchise looks for a younger player for the long term.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Players who have accrued only three NFL seasons and are not under contract are considered restricted free agents (RFA). The Steelers must tender a contract offer to their RFAs by June 1, or they will become unrestricted free agents. When tendering an offer (all one-year contracts), they can choose to place a first-round tender ($7.9 million), second-round tender ($5.7 million) or right of first refusal ($3.5 million).
One an RFA is tendered an offer, he can choose to sign the tender, negotiate a different contract or negotiate with another team. Should that player sign with another team after being tendered, the Steelers would be entitled to potential draft pick compensation. The Steelers signed Warren last offseason with a second-round tender, then later signed him to a contract extension.
• DL Esezi Otomewo
• C Ryan McCollum
• OLB Jeremiah Moon
• P Corliss Waitman
Otomewo was a positive contributor as a depth defensive tackle and he was well-liked in the locker room. McCollum has been a quality backup to Frazier, but he mainly had a job because Pat Meyer pounded the table for him. If Meyer is gone, and I expect him to be, maybe McCollum is gone, too? Waitman was solid as a punter and could earn another contract. However, it might be worth not tendering him a contract and working out something a little cheaper instead.
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