Behind the Steel Curtain
Are any Steelers due for extensions this offseason?
Steelers OTAs are just around the corner, meaning football is getting closer — as is another staple of the season: contract drama.
A whopping 44 Steelers — around half of the team’s current roster — are entering the last year of their respective contracts entering the new season. Of course, a good number of those players are one-year signings on the roster bubble, but the list of 2026 free agents is headlined by none other than one of the top defenders in the NFL: outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
There’s a chance the Steelers will sign a name or two to an extension ahead of the regular season, much like the Cam Heyward and Pat Freiermuth situations last year. The remaining players who make the roster will be hoping for healthy, productive seasons on their contract year.
Per NFL.com: Any player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract; free to negotiate and sign with any team.
Per NFL.com: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers (“tenders”) that come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation. If the tender is withdrawn by a team, the RFA becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Per NFL.com: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.
T.J. Watt is the obvious name here. The veteran pass-rusher will be on the wrong side of 30 in 2026...
