The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have to make some tough decisions after 2021.
Some notable veterans will more than likely be leaving due to the salary cap shrinking. It will be a bittersweet off-season as I foresee a couple of fan favorites becoming casualties to the cap situation in 2021. With that being said, the Steelers have limited draft capital, and more than likely will be selecting later in the draft than nearly every other team in the NFL. If they continue this pace, the Steelers won’t have a selection in the top 30 picks for the first time since 2017. They would’ve had one in 2020 but traded that pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
It is unlikely the Steelers will be able to replace a lot of the players they will have to cut due to the salary cap situation just in the draft. The Steelers will have some players to look into in free agency that could offer cheaper deals and very little drop-off in production. The Steelers aren’t going to sign any huge names in the 2021 off-season. However, there are some players they will have their eyes on in order to fill out the spots around their young stars.
Every player I am predicting is replacing a player or two that the Steelers should look to cut in order to save cap space. The Steelers will have to make cap space in order to resign the likes of T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and even some talent offensively. I am still convinced the Steelers will do everything in their power to resign JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2021. He has been a tremendous leader and is the go-to guy in big situations. If you don’t believe this, then remember Ben’s favorite target on 3rd downs, and on late drives against Baltimore in Week 8 and Dallas in Week 9 to secure victory.