ClutchPoints
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in store for roster changes during the 2025 NFL offseason. Despite being known as one of the league’s most consistent organizations, several key players will hit free agency in March as the fanbase calls for meaningful upgrades.
For the eighth straight year, the Steelers failed to win a playoff game in 2024. They snuck into the postseason with their fourth Wild Card appearance in the past five years and suffered a lopsided 28-14 loss to divisional rival Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh ended the season with its second consecutive 10-win campaign but cannot seem to get over the hump to become a legitimate title threat.
Entering the 2025 NFL offseason, the Steelers and their corresponding fanbase must be feeling a frustrating sense of déjà vu. However, for better or worse, change is on the horizon. Russell Wilson, Najee Harris, Justin Fields, Cameron Sutton and James Daniels headline the team’s 21-name list of players hitting free agency.
While the front office has expressed interest in retaining many of its upcoming free agents, the Steelers are all but guaranteed to experience significant turnover over the summer. They are projected to enter free agency with roughly $52 million in cap space before making the 21st selection of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Even with the amount of cap space they will have, the Steelers could free up additional room to pursue a bigger move. For the first time in a while, Pittsburgh has a chance to make a splash in the 2025 NFL offseason. They must capitalize on the opportunity while it lasts, even if it means parting ways with a seasoned veteran.
Once upon a time, the idea of releasing Preston Smith would have been unfathomable. Eleven years into his career, Smith is still a serviceable pass-rusher, just not worth the $52 million extension he signed in 2022. His current contract makes him the fourth-highest-paid player on the team despite playing behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.
In 2024, Smith played just 14 percent of the total defensive snaps. Most of that was due to spending the first half of the season with the Green Bay Packers, but Smith never recorded higher than a 40.3 percent defensive snap share with the Steelers. Even in the games Highsmith missed with an ankle injury, the additional snaps went to Herbig over Smith.
Through his eight games in black and gold, Smith recorded just 13 total tackles, including two sacks. Overall, he had 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2024 across his tenures with both the Steelers and Packers. The production was a noticeable decrease from his previous three seasons, a span in which he notched 25.5 sacks.
Beyond just his decreased production, the Steelers already boast one of the deepest pass-rush units without Smith. Few reserve edge-rushers have been more impactful than Herbig since he entered the league in 2023. After posting three sacks as a rookie, Herbig recorded 5.5 in 2024 with just a [38.8 defensive...
