The Pittsburgh Steelers are still hunting for ways to get the final two cornerstone players from their 2023 draft class signed to contract extensions. After inking deals with Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington, Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton could be next in line to break the bank.
Unfortunately, salary cap space is running slim, as the Steelers rank dead last in the NFL in this department, according to Over the Cap. What's worse is that there is one contract on the roster that's impossible to justify: veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
The Steelers traded for Ramsey last offseason, sending safety Minkah Fitzpatrick packing in the exchange. The problem is that Ramsey was on a bad contract—a contract the Miami Dolphins were itching to unload.
For the 2026 season. Ramsey has an egregious cap number of $19.5 million. This is the fifth-highest cap hit on the team... but he's hardly the fifth-best player on the Steelers at this stage of his NFL career.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are grossly overpaying to keep DB Jalen Ramsey around
Ramsey's $24 million average per year makes him the fifth-most expensive cornerback or the third-most-expensive safety in the NFL in terms of per-year average, via Over the Cap, depending on how you view him. Either way, he is grossly overpaid.
In 2025, Ramsey didn't play enough snaps at cornerback to qualify for this label. Instead, the veteran was listed as a safety, where his 64.5 overall PFF grade ranked 46th among NFL safeties. Ramsey's 58.8 coverage grade was 60th among safeties who played at least 20 percent of defensive snaps—and considering there are only 62 starting safeties in the league, this obviously is a poor mark.
Other advanced data tells the same story.
Ramsey allowed 466 yards in 17 games last season while giving up an egregious passer rating of 121.3 to opposing quarterbacks. He also committed seven penalties (though three were declined) and allowed six touchdowns while creating just one interception.
Now Ramsey is set to enter his age-32 season. Though things could get better under the direction of new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, age is catching up to him, and he no longer has the speed, quickness, and change-of-direction ability he had in his youth.
Omar Khan and the Steelers no doubt have reason to want to keep him around—this team is trying to find playoff success in 2026, and they believe Ramsey can be part of that.
But at this stage of his career, Ramsey is a mid-level starter, and an average starter can't be paid like a top-five defensive back. Regardless of what plan the Pittsburgh Steelers have for Jalen Ramsey in 2026, his contract is simply impossible to justify.
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