3 easy cuts would save Steelers more than $15 million in salary cap space

Steelers must cut LB Joe Schobert

As easy of a decision as it should be to release Zach Banner this offseason, cutting linebacker Joe Schobert should be even easier. This isn’t to say that Schobert can’t be a bigger contributor for the team in 2022, but after what we’ve seen from him this past season, I would be furious if he stuck around at his current rate.

Pittsburgh was not only willing to trade draft capital to acquire Joe Schobert from the Jacksonville Jaguars during the preseason in 2021, but they were also willing to take on the brunt of his outrageous 5-year, $53.7 million contract that he signed with Jacksonville in 2020.

Schobert is set to have a cap number of over $9.7 million in 2022 and over $11.2 million in both 2022 and 2023. This is the type of money that you should be paying to some of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL — not to a guy who struggled in every facet of the game last year.

The Steelers clearly shouldn’t be willing to pay Schobert a fraction of this. Luckily, his guaranteed money has already been dished out. Because of this, the Steelers could save $7.834 million by cutting him prior to June 1st with just $1.888 million in dead money. If they were willing to wait until after June 1st, Pittsburgh could save $9.25 million in salary-cap space this year.