4 moves to help Steelers keep a winning roster around QB Ben Roethlisberger
By Tommy Jaggi
Extend Steven Nelson
Though an extension seems out of the question for Joe Haden (or at least it should be), it’s not for his counterpart, Steven Nelson. While one could argue that Haden was the better player of the two last year, it makes much more sense to give an extension to Nelson.
In all honesty, Nelson may not be deserving of this either. He really came back down to earth last year after a phenomenal 2019 season. In 2020, Nelson surrendered 732 yards and a whopping 7 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. Still, it makes some sense as to why Pittsburgh could give him a new deal.
Nelson has a $14.4 million cap hit this year (fourth-highest on the team), and it’s hard for Pittsburgh to justify this number. Fortunately, he turned just 28 years old this offseason and still has more left in the tank. Cutting both starting outside cornerbacks this offseason would really put the Steelers in a bind, and it’s something they can’t afford to do. If they were to offer Nelson a 2-3 year extension, they could take a large portion of his $8.25 million base salary and push it into the future.