4 reasons Steelers need to lock up SS Terrell Edmunds long-term

The salary cap outlook is terrific in 2022

Finding a way to make an extension with Terrell Edmunds work financially isn’t nearly as hard as many fans believe. While it’s true that T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick are in line for massive deals that could make them each the highest-paid player at their respective positions, there’s going to be enough to go around, and with Minkah’s fifth-year option, his extension is not as pressing at the moment.

Cap space is certainly tight at the moment. The Steelers have just over $9.2 million in cap space at the moment, according to Over the Cap, and just $6.4 million after displacement. They are going to want to save a portion of this money for in-season signings in the event of injuries. This leaves Pittsburgh a little to work with.

Fortunately, the salary cap outlook in 2022 and beyond looks terrific, and Pittsburgh is set to have the most effective cap space in the year next season ($68.7 million) with many big contracts coming off the books. There’s always the option of extending and restructuring a player like Stephon Tuitt or David DeCastro, but they can wait on this extension until after the season if need be. Obviously, the Steelers aren’t going to want to overpay for Edmunds if he has a setback this year, but there will be more than enough money to lock him up for the future next offseason.

I know that Terrell Edmunds still has a lot to prove and that he’s not the most important player on the team. Many strong safeties are a dime-a-dozen and he will need to continue to make strides again in 2021. However, there are plenty of ways that an Edmunds extension could benefit the Steelers in the future.