4 of the easiest ways that the Steelers can create cap space

Here are five of the easiest ways that the Steelers can create cap space in 2021

The Steelers, like most teams, are patiently awaiting what the cap will be set at for the 2021 season. COVID has likely done some damage to the available space as profits were cut this year, and even if the cap gets close to the number it was last year, the Steelers will need to do some work to get compliant. While the team will have to make some tough choices, the options below are the simplest and most logical way to create space. While they all won’t happen, here are the easiest ways for the Steelers to create cap space in 2021.

Extend Steven Nelson

While it would take some work from both sides, hammering out a contract extension with veteran cornerback Steven Nelson would make a lot of sense. With him entering the final year of his deal, he has a large-cap hit of over 14 million dollars. The team likely won’t cut him given his solid, albeit worse than 2019, play and the fact that he is still under 30 years old. All of these factors make an extension a far more realistic route for the two parties.

While these numbers are just projections, say Nelson adds on another three years and averages around 12 million per season (a number that makes him a top-15 paid cornerback). Given how the Steelers typically do deals, they could shave off 4 million dollars from their cap if a deal like this was struck. While not a monumental amount of savings, it will be worth it if the Steelers intend on keeping Nelson past this season. Assuming they are happy with him so far, extending him this offseason makes sense from a cap perspective.