5 difficult decisions the Steelers must make in the 2021 offseason

Cut Maurkice Pouncey

Maurkice Pouncey has obviously been a very good pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his career with this team has extended over a decade (which you don’t see a lot of anymore in today’s NFL). Throughout his career, he has earned 8 Pro Bowls and 2 first-team All-Pro appearances.

But despite all of his accomplishments, the Steelers have to at least consider cutting him in 2021. Unless things turn around drastically before the end of the season, Pouncey will be coming off one of his worst years with the team since joining the league in 2010, and at 31 years old, we should not expect his play to get any better. Pouncey has ranked among the bottom of all centers in the league in each of the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, and he’s not the same player he used to be.

Prediction: Pouncey stays

The Steelers could save $8 million by releasing Pouncey in the 2021 offseason, according to Over the Cap. But even that might not be enough to let the underwhelming center go. It’s well known that Roethlisberger and Pouncey would love to finish their careers together, and if Ben stays, I think they let Pouncey finish out the last year of his deal.