The Steelers are in a ‘must-win’ situation in the 2020 season for one reason and one reason only
The Steelers are in something of a ‘catch-22’ this season in that we must win the Super Bowl this year for one reason, which is this: the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap for the 2021 season. The salary cap is all-important, but more so next season than in another season. Here’s what I mean by that.
The salary cap will be the single biggest variable going into next season. The way I see it, three scenarios could play out concerning the salary cap and two of those scenarios would prove to be detrimental to the Steelers.
The first scenario would be that the cap decreases in 2021 as a result of the current environment in which the NFL and every other sport find itself, which is reduced revenue. With either no fans in stadiums or limited capacity in stadiums, revenue will be affected. If the salary cap decreases because of the reduced revenue stream, we will be forced to make difficult and potentially franchise-altering decisions on pending free agents and players who would need to be extended before reaching free agency.
The second scenario would be that the cap remains unchanged. Even in this scenario, the Steelers would be forced to make potentially franchise-altering decisions on pending free agents. Picture this: Assuming we do not re-structure any contracts, which is probably unlikely given the Steelers predilection to re-structure contracts, with the number of pending free agents we have coming up in 2021, we simply would not be able to afford to re-sign everyone.
The third scenario is that the cap increases. If this comes to fruition, all will be right in the football world and the Steelers would most likely be able to retain our ‘most prized’ pending free agents and we would be able to keep pursuing another Super Bowl victory before our franchise QB decides to hang up his cleats. Truthfully, I do not see the aforementioned scenario playing out.
The Steelers may be in deep trouble if the salary cap decreases in 2021
The uncertainty surrounding the salary cap in 2021 makes this season vitally important for the Steelers for several reasons, but, first and foremost, for the reason that if we do not win the Super Bowl this year, we may not win another Super Bowl with our franchise QB.
I know that sounds ‘doom and gloom’, but I firmly believe that unless the salary cap increases, the Steelers may be forced to return to the dark days of executing contracts ala Plan B free agency. For those of you who do not remember Plan B free agency, consider yourself fortunate to not have lived through that awful period of not knowing which players the Steelers were going to inevitably lose.
All I know is this: the salary cap had better increase if the Steelers want to remain competitive for the duration of our franchise QBs tenure.