Steelers Now
Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers were aggressive this offseason when it came to spending money.
The team brought in several notable free agents, including Rico Dowdle, Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker, while also making sure some of their younger ascending players stayed in Pittsburgh by extending guys like Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig. On paper, those are the kinds of moves fans want to see, but they come at a cost.
According to Over The Cap, the Steelers currently have just $3.124 million in available cap space, the lowest total in the NFL. The next closest team, the Cincinnati Bengals, has more than double that amount available. While that number alone is not necessarily alarming considering Pittsburgh already has most of its roster in place, it becomes more noteworthy when looking at the players who are still due for new contracts.
The biggest name on that list is Joey Porter Jr. After a breakout 2025 season, Porter established himself as one of the best young cornerbacks in football. If he continues on his current trajectory, he is going to command a massive extension, and given the state of the current cornerback market, that price tag is only going to continue rising. The Steelers can create room if they need to, but eventually that money has to come from somewhere.
That is where some uncomfortable conversations could begin. The obvious place to start is with some of the highest-paid players on the roster. T.J. Watt remains a franchise icon and one of the greatest defensive players in team history, but after posting seven sacks in 2025, third-most on the team despite playing the most games among Pittsburgh’s edge rushers, it is fair to question whether his current cap figure still matches his production. With the Steelers possessing legitimate depth at edge rusher, there is at least a conversation to be had about restructuring his deal to create flexibility elsewhere. The same argument could be made for players such as Jalen Ramsey and DK Metcalf. Both are important contributors, but they also carry significant cap hits on a team that may soon need every available dollar.
The Steelers have always taken pride in rewarding veterans who have earned it, and there is something admirable about that philosophy. At the same time, the NFL is a league built on difficult financial decisions. Sometimes paying the next wave of talent means asking established veterans to sacrifice a little.
Those decisions may be coming sooner than many realize. As things currently stand, Pittsburgh is projected to have just $5.554 million in cap space entering the 2027 season. By then, Herbig’s cap hit jumps to $25.235 million while Washington’s rises to $11.3 million. On top of that, several key young players will be eligible for extensions of their own, including Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Payton Wilson and Mason McCormick.
The good news for Pittsburgh is that the salary cap is expected to continue rising and there are still ways to create flexibility. However, with Porter...
