4 Steelers that will be grossly overpaid in 2021 if not cut

Vance McDonald

To be fair, Vance McDonald isn’t given the credit he is due from this season. He went from the starter to a reserve blocker role, and you didn’t hear a single complaint from him. A casual fan will point at his meager production (15 receptions for 99 yards), but his play in the trenches was far better than last year. That said, his value as a blocker and minimal returns as a pass-catcher don’t justify the contract he is set to earn if he is on the roster.

If he is still on the roster, McDonald will earn 5.2 million dollars and have a cap hit of just under 8 million dollars attached to his name. While a good team player and a fine blocker, he is simply not worth that kind of money. The 5.2 million dollars the Steelers would save could go towards bringing back one of their pending free agents or just getting cap compliant. Honestly, the same could be said for Eric Ebron, as the team could shed 6 million off the cap by releasing him. That said, he is far more critical to this offense and would decimate the tight end room if he and McDonald were released.

While it is almost set in stone that McDonald is cut, don’t be surprised if he circles back to the team. His value on the market won’t be high, and if he is willing to play on a cheap contract, the team would be foolish to let him go. The right situation has to happen, but McDonald could be a realistic resign candidate after he is cut. That said, the contract he is currently on makes him extremely overpaid heading into next year.