The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to have more cap space than they have had in years, but here are four scenarios they could explore to free up even more money in 2022.
The Steelers roster is in rough shape. After selling out for one more chance at a Super Bowl run in 2021 with Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh will now be in search of a franchise quarterback among many other important positions like offensive tackle, cornerback, and center.
Fortunately, they have more money to work with this offseason than they’ve had in years. According to Over the Cap, the Steelers are projected to have roughly $34.1 million in spending money heading into the 2022 offseason.
This money can go rather quickly — especially when you have a player like Minkah Fitzpatrick who needs a new deal. The good news is that there are still numerous ways to clear up additional cap. Here are four scenarios the Steelers could explore to find themselves with even more salary-cap space in 2022:
Scenario 1: Steelers cut Banner and Schobert
The first and most obvious scenario for the Steelers to open the offseason would be to cut two players who aren’t worth a fraction of their weight in gold: offensive tackle Zach Banner and linebacker Joe Schobert.
During the summer, both of these players were not only projected to be starters but major contributors to the team’s success. The Steelers had high hopes for Banner when they gave him a two-year, $9.5 million deal last offseason, and Pittsburgh clearly thought Schobert would give them a boost when they were willing to trade draft capital in addition to taking on the remainder of the five-year, $53.75 million contract he signed with the Jaguars in 2020.
By cutting both Banner and Schobert, the Steelers would save an additional $12.8 million for the 2022 season — boosting their total cap space up to over $47.9 million. These two cuts seem like easy decisions early in the offseason.
Scenario 2: Steelers cut Banner, Schobert, and Haeg
Cutting both Zach Banner and Joe Schobert this offseason should be a given for the Steelers, and I can’t think of a good enough reason to keep either player around. However, I would suggest adding at least one more name to this list.
Joe Haeg was serviceable when called upon late in the season (though I’m still a bit frustrated that playing him in Week 17 cost the Steelers a future fifth-round compensatory pick). Haeg turns 29 years old this offseason and has bounced around the league as a swing tackle. He’s not a guy the Steelers want starting.
Pittsburgh can get another player to fill his role, and cutting Haeg in addition to Banner and Schobert would save the Steelers $15.43 million. This would instantly bring their total cap space up to $50.54 million for the 2022 offseason — a sizeable boost from the $34.1 million they currently have.
The only problem with this is that Pittsburgh would be getting rid of two offensive tackles at a position that is already thin. Though Dan Moore could potentially be a long-term option at the position, Chukwuma Okorafor is an unrestricted free agent and is likely to sign elsewhere. Still, this is a great savings, and the Steelers could turn around and invest their money into a better offensive tackle in free agency.
Scenario 3: Steelers cut Banner and Schobert, make Tuitt a post-June 1st cut
This scenario isn’t as fun to think about as it involves moving on from a player who I believe is still a top-five player on the roster when on the football field. Sadly, we currently don’t know the state of Stephon Tuitt, and after he reportedly sold his house in Pittsburgh, it seems likely that he has already played his last snap for the Steelers.
If this is the case, the best thing the team could have happen is for Tuitt to retire and forfeit the remainder of his contract (minus the guaranteed money that has already been paid out). Not knowing what the future holds, the team could be simply looking to get out of his deal in an effort to save money.
By releasing Stephon Tuitt, the Steelers would only save $4.29 million, as he still has a few expensive years remaining on his contract after the restructure last offseason. However, if the front office designates Tuitt’s release as a post-June 1st cut, the team would save $9 million for the 2022 offseason.
While this money wouldn’t come into effect after this date, this would be a significant saving. If Pittsburgh elected to go this route, the team would boost themselves up to $56.9 million in 2022, with the $9 million from Tuitt not becoming available until after June 1st.
Scenario 4: Steelers cut Banner and Schobert, make Roethlisberger a post-June 1st cut
You might be asking yourself ‘how can the Steelers cut Ben Roethlisberger when he officially retired from football?’ It’s an interesting predicament they have here. While Big Ben is done with football, his contract is not yet off the books.
Because the team added voidable years onto Ben’s contract in an effort to keep a competitive team for one more season, the front office essentially has two options: they can absorb all $10.34 million of the dead money hit from Roethlisberger’s voidable-year restructure in 2022, or they can spread this hit out and kick the can further down the road.
If they decide on the latter (which I think is a real possibility), the Steelers would make Ben’s contract a post-June 1st cut. By doing this, the team would take a $2.585 million dead cap hit this year instead of the $10.34 million hit — saving an additional $7.755 million this year.
If the Steelers made Ben’s voidable-year contract a post-June 1st cut in addition to releasing Schobert and Banner, they could save roughly $20.59 million this year. that would give them $58.3 million to spend in free agency and to retain their own players. The problem with doing this is that the team would have to take the remainder of the cap hit in the 2023 offseason.
The Steelers have some very important financial decisions ahead of them, and I’m hoping Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan can work their magic again this offseason. The good news is that there are numerous ways for Pittsburgh to free up even more cap space than they already have to work with in 2022.