The Pittsburgh Steelers have made lots of signings, but luckily they steered clear of these free agents.
The Steelers have been very active in free agency thus far, everyone paying attention knows this. It has been uncommon for them, but this year brought a bunch of cap space and flexibility to spend. The team had many holes to fill, so many assumed that they would get creative in signing free agents.
Good teams know how to navigate these waters in the open market. Good teams sign good players to fair deals while the bad clubs will overpay for average talent. The black and gold seem like they were able to sign many to shorter-term deals on the cheaper side of things.
That is a feat of its own as many will get the spending itch and need to be over-aggressive. Pittsburgh was aggressive, but that only happened because these free agents wanted to come here and sign. They didn’t have to overpay for them to bring them aboard.
The NFL is always an exciting league when players are looking for new homes and this year has been no different. Between free agency and the draft, there are lots of moves that are done. New players sign lucrative contracts and franchise-altering trades occur.
The franchise that calls the Steel City home normally isn’t in the spotlight of new talent acquisition until the draft. This year was different, but this team was smart shoppers on the open market. They didn’t drown in the open waters of free agency, and they have now positioned themselves for a good setup when the draft comes around.
Justin Reid signed a 3 year, $31.5 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs
Justin Reid isn’t a bad player; he is actually a very underrated safety in the league. He is a solid safety that will surprise Chiefs fans that were looking for Tyrann Mathieu to return as the starter. He will be departing via free agency in his own right, but they did bring in a replacement.
The Chiefs desperately needed to find a player to come in and play safety for them and they got that here. He will play well for this team, but that is a lot of money going towards this player. He probably demanded this with the type of market that he got in free agency, but this club could’ve brought back Mathieu for that price.
They changed their mind and wanted some new blood for the position. The signing will work out for this team, but the Steelers would not have given this player that contract. Minkah Fitzpatrick will demand a hefty raise soon and Pittsburgh must be careful with how much they shell out to his safety partner.
Terrell Edmunds could be re-signed and that should be for cheaper than what Reid got. Fans are clamoring for Mathieu to join the black and gold, but his contract will cost too much. Jordan Whitehead signed a fair contract with the New York Jets and that is likely what the Steelers hope to sign their starting safety to on their next deal.
Brandon Scherff signed a 3 year, $49.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Brandon Scherff signed a lucrative deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. This team has always been active in free agency and that was no different in 2022. They had a ton of cap space to spend, and they continue to make huge mistakes. They continuously hand out massive contracts to players that could become massive busts upon the point of signing.
This guard has been one of the best in the NFL for years now, but he does have injury concerns. He has not played a full season since 2016 and only played 11 games this previous year. That is the major concern with this player, besides him entering his thirties.
It is only a three-year deal that will see him play through his young thirties, but that is a lot of money for a guard. The Jaguars want to keep their young quarterback safe and give him time, but that’s a lot of money. The Steelers would never have signed a player like Scherff with this type of deal in his option pool.
This is another contract that the jaguars will likely cut from their spending in another season and give out another contract just like it again. Scherff is a really good player when he is healthy, he has made the Pro Bowl five times in his career. The issue, he is getting older, and the injury bug has been following him during his career.
Jameis Winston signed a 2 year, $28 million contract with the New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston has been linked to the Steelers for years now and this offseason was no different. Many thought that he could be an option in free agency besides him recovering from an ACL tear. His market should’ve been shallow. but he still got a good contract.
Pittsburgh decided to go with Mitch Trubisky instead with a cheaper contract that came with him. That looks like the much better option, especially after Winston’s numbers on his new contract started leaking out. He was signed for two years for double what Trubisky did, and his contract also guarantees about $21 million.
That is a nice contract for a player that is coming off a big injury. Winston somehow was able to get the Saints to offer him a deal that will tie him onto the books for the next two seasons. This was a bad deal, not because of the number of years, but because the guaranteed money was too much.
The Steelers should be very lucky that they got a bridge quarterback for much cheaper, and someone they can cut bait from after a season if they choose to do so. The Saints will have to keep their newly re-signed player for another couple of years. He wasn’t a terrible starter, but he could lose some abilities with the injury he is coming back from.
Laken Tomlinson signed a 3 year, $40 million contract with the New York Jets
Laken Tomlinson was considered a first-round bust before he rekindled his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He still isn’t a top-tier guard in the NFL, but he is a serviceable starter that was available to sign anywhere once free agency began.
The Steelers had their name tied to this player and other guard options on the open market. Luckily for the team, this player went elsewhere and cashed in. The New York Jets gave out a giant contract that overpaid this player. This could be a cap casualty down the line for this franchise.
Pittsburgh would then turn around and sign a more respected free agent guard for a fair contract. The black and gold added James Daniels to a deal that upgraded this offensive front instantly. Missing out on Tomlinson was great for this team as the Jets will struggle to deal with this contract sooner rather than later.
Getting this guard at this price is an inexcusable amount to give out. Good for this player for cashing in, but he is not worth this price. He should’ve gotten a contract more comparable to Daniels, but the Jets felt the need to get this player and that cost them a pretty penny.
Christian Kirk signed a 4 year, $72 million (could go up to $84 million with incentives) with the Jacksonville Jaguars
This was the biggest shocker of the entire craziness that was the free agency contracts that were signed. It wasn’t crazy to link Christian Kirk with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the fit and need were both there. The amount of money that this rebuilding team gave to this receiver was such a huge over-pay that many couldn’t believe it.
This signing was labeled a bust as soon as the ink started signing on the paper. It is an ugly deal for the Jaguars and one many in the NFL cannot figure out. This is a decent player, but he is not a dynamic number one option like this contract would have you believe.
The Steelers should have shown interest in this player with his speed and ability to provide snaps as a slot receiver. They know better than to shell out this deal to a player that never has passed 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Kirk is a decent target, but not even remotely close to that price.
This was highway robbery by Kirk and his agents, and good for them. You cannot blame a player for cashing in and getting as much money as possible, they deserve it. The Steelers were smart to stay as far away as possible and build back this position in the draft for cheaper. You pay great players big money, not above average players that could be easily replaced.
The Steelers made some questionable moves themselves, but for the most part, those contracts were safe. They could have done much worse by going after these free agents.