The Steelers are a Super Bowl contender in 2020, but here are four former stars who are set to be grossly overpaid in 2021.
Nobody should be arguing about the way that the Pittsburgh Steelers do business. General manager, Kevin Colbert, has been playing chess while the rest of the league plays checkers. Thanks to this salary cap genius, the Steelers have been able to retain nearly all the players they hope to while bringing in some capable free agents to help keep them competitive year after year.
As a result, Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season since 2003 – four years before Mike Tomlin even came to town. Thanks to backloading contracts, Colbert and his crew were able to string together an impressive roster in 2020 that is on pace to be one of the best teams in the history of the franchise.
Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Because of the way that money is structured and the unfortunate circumstances in 2020, Pittsburgh is already projected to be over the salary cap in 2021. While most contracts on the team seem pretty good, the Steelers have five former stars who are set to be grossly overpaid next year:
CB Joe Haden
Joe Haden was a phenomenal signing by the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2017. After Haden was cut by the Cleveland Browns, Mike Tomlin and his team wasted no time in snatching him up. Last year, Haden made the Pro Bowl for Pittsburgh after an impressive season that included 5 interceptions and 17 pass defenses.
Despite all of this, Haden will not be worth his lofty contract numbers in 2021. After this season, the veteran cornerback is set to make over $15.5 million next year, according to Over the Cap. Haden turns 32 years old in the offseason, and while is still playing pretty well, the Steelers can’t justify giving him that much money.