A big part of a team's salary cap situation throughout the offseason is getting its rookie class under contract. With Derrick Harmon signing his four-year, $17,973,604 deal yesterday, the Steelers now have their entire 2025 NFL Draft class under contract.

As the first-round pick, Harmon's contract is the largest. It's a fully guaranteed deal, but doesn't come with any extravagant cap hits. According to OverTheCap.com, Harmon carries a cap hit of $3,267,928 in 2025. Over the three following seasons, respectively, he'll have cap hits of $4,084,910, $4,901,892 and $5,718,874. And, as with any first-round pick, the Steelers can decide to pick up a fifth-year option prior to the start of his fourth season.

The rest of the class is very affordable. This is why teams want to build through the draft, as it comes with significant cost control. Kaleb Johnson's contract is four years for a total of $6,372,062, carrying a cap hit of $1,158,557 in 2025. If Will Howard were to turn into something significant, his first four years are outrageously affordable at a total of $4,448,100, carrying cap hits of $902,025, $1,067,025, $1,182,025 and $1,297,025, respectively.

For 2025, the Steelers now have an estimated $31.89 million in cap space. The three most significant costs remaining are:

• Signing Aaron Rodgers. I continue to hear that the overall expectation on the South Side is he will eventually sign with the team. Even if he doesn't, the Steelers will be adding another veteran quarterback. That situation would likely cost a lot less money, but I also don't expect a Rodgers contract to be ridiculously expensive. It might not be for the $10 million Rodgers said he'd play for while on the Pat McAfee Show in April, but it won't break the bank.

• Acquire a second outside wide receiver. That could come in the form of a free agent, such as Amari Cooper or Gabe Davis. Or, that could come via trade, such as Green Bay's Romeo Doubs or Houston's Christian Kirk. Both the Packers and Texans have crowded receiver rooms and could be listeners for trade offers. And, with a projected 12 picks in next year's NFL Draft, the Steelers have plenty of draft capital to acquire a receiver that can complement DK Metcalf, much like Corey Davis complemented A.J. Brown for the Titans when Arthur Smith was offensive coordinator in Tennessee.

• Spending room throughout the season. During the offseason, only the top 51 contracts are counted toward the salary cap as teams have to fill out 90-man rosters for training camp. But, when the season starts, rosters are trimmed to 53 players and the top-51 rule goes away, making every dollar accounted for. So, when players go down with injuries and the Steelers have to sign players to fill roster spots, it goes against the cap. With the cost of contracts inflating at an accelerated rate because of an even faster growing salary cap, teams typically need to account for $7-8 million in breathing room throughout the season. They may never use close to that amount, which is fine. Any money not spent this year can and will be rolled over toward next year's salary cap. But, they have to be prepared for anything. So, if you see the Steelers go into the season with $10 million in cap space, it's not because they are being cheap.

Another factor to be considered for this year's cap is the looming extension for T.J. Watt. His cap hit for 2025 is a team-high $30,418,695. When he signs his extension, it will likely lower his cap hit, which could give the Steelers even more flexibility this year and in future seasons. Remember, unused cap space is rolled over.

Bottom line: The Steelers are in a very flexible spot, and that's where they want to be. If and when they draft their franchise quarterback, they want to find a great balance between having a complete roster and immense flexibility. Right now, they're in a great spot for that.