The Steelers will have money to spend during the 2022 offseason and they could pay some major bucks in free agency.
It is going to be a very interesting offseason for the Steelers when this upcoming season ends. They are projected to have a little over $75 million in cap space during this upcoming offseason according to overthecap.com. That is some ridiculous spending money to have when free agency comes to play. The black and gold will re-sign many top players like T.J. Watt and company before the free agency process begins, so that cap space will come down some.
Even after those signings, this team will have a lot of spending money when the time comes. It is still unknown how players and the team will shake out this season. Some players may play above or below expectations so different free agents could be targeted accordingly. For instance, if Ben Roethlisberger plays well then he could always be re-signed and brought back for another season or more.
All of these free agents should be taken with a grain of salt as some might even re-sign with their current teams. Each one is scheduled to become a free agent after the season and this article could change with time as players go to training camp. That is where a majority of extensions are made for these players.
Some honorable mentions are Jameis Winston, Tyrod Taylor, Haason Reddick, and Brandon Scherff. Each player has some connection to the team no matter if it’s where their hometown is located or prior rumors with a connection to Pittsburgh. They all have a potential fit with this team as the franchise looks to 2022.
Darious Williams, DB, LA Rams
Darious Williams is one of the most underrated defensive backs in the NFL. He plays in a very good secondary group for the Rams and that might help his cause some. He graded at an 80 for Pro Football Focus last season and that’s a very good starter. Another thing that will attract the Steelers is his age. He will turn 28 next March and the black and gold have a fairly strict policy when it comes to signing free agents over the age of 30. This would be a solid addition as Joe Haden is getting older and will become a free agent after this year.
Williams is a small cornerback but he could be implemented on this team like Mike Hilton was before he departed. This will be another big year for this player after his breakout performance last year.
He was a constant starter on this team and he racked up an impressive stat line that will surely get him a nice payday if he can repeat that. He seems to be primed for a good cash out when this season concludes and the black and gold should be calling when the time comes. They will need cornerbacks desperately and finding some answers through free agency almost seems like a guarantee at this point.
J.C. Jackson, DB, New England Patriots
J.C. Jackson is coming off a great performance during last year’s campaign. Many people thought that he would get a nice extension but the Patriots declined to do that, only bringing him back for this upcoming year.
Jackson will have to show everyone his talents yet again if he wants to get that monumental payday that he is working towards. This player helped keep the Patriots defense solid even after they lost many players to opt-outs due to Covid. He was part of one of the best secondary’s in football and he will be getting paid a lot of money if he hits the open market.
Age is another advantage to this player as he will only be 26 when he enters free agency. That is super interesting if you are in Pittsburgh. It gives you some comfortability to sign this player to a longer deal knowing that his prime is still coming.
Jackson is not a finished product yet and that is another huge plus to this free agent. Jackson will be one of the top defensive backs on the open market if he makes it there and the Steelers would be foolish to not invest in this player. Adding a top corner to a fading group would be a nice addition.
Terron Armstead, OT, New Orleans Saints
Terron Armstead is one of the top offensive tackles in the league and he will be the top one in free agency. The black and gold are taking a huge gamble by putting their belief in Chuks Okorafor as the starting left tackle for the 2021 season. He has little to no starting experience on that side after starting at right tackle the season prior. If he performs as expected then the left tackle spot is going to be a huge vacancy going forward and the top tackles should come into focus at that point. Armstead fits that bill as his play is still solid as he gets older.
The biggest issue with this free-agent option is the age that comes with him. He is over 30 and will probably start to regress in the next handful of years so that could turn the Steelers away from him. Armstead is still in his early 30s so giving him a three to four-year deal shouldn’t be mindbogglingly bad.
Armstead will stabilize the front with leadership and solve the problem at left tackle for the future. Getting a player of this caliber would be one of the biggest free-agent signings in franchise history as the team will be desperately searching for answers across the front if this scenario is needed when the time comes.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Denver Broncos
This free agent will be based on Ben Roethlisberger and how this upcoming season goes. He could always return for more football but all signs are pointing to this being his last year as the quarterback. Mason Rudolph will be given every opportunity to be the starting guy in 2022 but he will need some competition for that starting spot.
There are a lot of guys but Teddy Bridgewater makes a ton of sense. After his knee injury early in his career, he hasn’t been the same up-and-coming star player. He is an average starting quarterback that is best suited to be a bridge between rebuilding and finding your next franchise talent.
Bridgewater will be under 30 when he hits the open market and Pittsburgh should be interested if Roethlisberger retires. They need players at the position and they could find a bridge player here. If the Steelers do very poorly and have a top selection in the draft then they could opt to just wait for selecting another rookie option.
Rudolph needs starting competition and Bridgewater would provide that to a quarterback room. He will win you games and with a solid defense around him, this could be a solid team going forward. It might not be a Super Bowl-level contender but it could threaten for a playoff spot.
The Steelers will have a lot of work to do this upcoming offseason but at least they have some money to spend. It will be interesting to see what the team does with that cash.