The Pittsburgh Steelers have turned their attention in recent years to their trench play. Under Omar Khan, the team has consistently invested in both the offensive and defensive line with veterans and early draft picks.
For an offensive line that was floundering before and depending on the wrong type of players, this inflow of talent was welcomed. It has led to three first-round picks being used on the group, as well as a second, third, and fourth rounder to finish off the room.
Now the Steelers will have to pay the piper.
As we know, rookie contracts are relatively cheap. Mid-first round picks are only making a few million dollars a year, and anyone not taken on day one is playing for essentially pennies, given how large contracts have gotten.
That won’t be the case for much longer, though, as the Steelers will have to tie up a lot of money in this offensive line and soon.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could quickly end up spending $70 million on their line
A few years back, the team used their first, second, and fourth round picks on Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick, respectively. Each player has developed into a quality starter.
Fautanu looked great in his first healthy season last year. While he will make the switch back to the left side this year, I don’t expect much of an issue from him.
Tackles are paid extremely well right now. The Steelers do have the benefit of the fifth-year option, but that certainly isn’t cheap. I’d expect that price tag to be between $20-$25 million.
Whenever he does get a long-term deal, that fifth-year option will serve as a base to build off. Given the tax you pay to top tackles and the ever-growing salary cap, Fautanu should be in line for a deal worth somewhere between $25-$30 million a year.
He isn’t even the most pressing name to sign, given his option year. Instead, it feels like Frazier will be the first of the young offensive linemen to secure the bag.
Centers have seen their value balloon this offseason because of the Tyler Linderbaum mega-deal. No, Frazier won’t top that, but it feels like his floor has shot up to somewhere close to $20 million a year. If he breaks out this year and earns some awards, that price could even go up.
Finally, we have McCormick, who has benefited most from the recent hot guard market. Even though he isn’t viewed as a true top guard, average starters are getting paid in the realm of $16-$18 million a year. Once again, that price tag will only continue to rise.
If the Steelers want to ink all three of these young players (and they should), it will come at a major cost. All said and done, those three player could account for upwards of $70 million a season for this team.
This is one of the costs of developing good players. The Steelers had three wins in one draft class along the offensive line, and very soon, it is going to cost them.
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