The Pittsburgh Steelers made their intentions clear this offseason when they hired veteran coach Mike McCarthy as their head coach. There will be no rebuild, no reset, and certainly no "tanking" of any kind. If that is going to be the case, General Manager Omar Khan has his work cut out for him if he wants to turn this team into anything close to a contender this offseason.
Luckily, he should have plenty of flexibility to add to the roster this offseason. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the NFL salary cap is expected to rise to over $300 million in 2026.
The NFL informed clubs today it is projecting a 2026 salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2026
That would represent another significant jump from this year’s $279.2 million cap number, and nearly $100M than the $208.2M cap in 2022. pic.twitter.com/3Mr146H01C
That increase is similar to last year's increase, showing just how healthy the NFL is, financially speaking. That boost gives the Steelers plenty of money to play with this offseason, and that is before any potential cuts and extensions that could be on the horizon. It also means that Khan should have no excuses if he doesn't make significant investments with this cap space.
Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan has plenty of available cap space thanks to expected revenue increase
As much as I (and many other Steelers fans) are tired of the team trying to maximize each season instead of trying to build the right way, that seems to be the plan once again in 2026. If so, it is Khan's duty as the team's GM to use the projected $45+ million in cap space Pittsburgh will have available to them to fill the multitude of holes currently on the roster.
That starts at quarterback, where a second season of Aaron Rodgers seems more likely with each passing day. Assuming for a second, though, that Rodgers does move on, the top available QBs in free agency should be within the Steelers price range.
Someone like Daniel Jones or Malik Willis could be a significant upgrade over the aging Rodgers, especially in the QB-friendly system McCarthy is known for. Jones status is still up in the air following his Achilles injury, but he could potentially be ready by the start of next season.
Then there is the issue of who the Steelers choose at QB will get to throw to. The receiver room is a barren wasteland, with DK Metcalf being the only established starter. Finding help there in both free agency and the NFL draft would be wise, and there are a few interesting options available this offseason.
Help along the offensive line and the secondary are also major needs, and it's not going to be cheap if they want serious upgrades for next season. Still, if the Steelers want to truly have a chance at competing with McCarthy running the show, the time to pinch pennies is over.