3 contract decisions that will pay off for the Pittsburgh Steelers

An athletic linebacker could look like a bargain soon; a high-quality guard looks like a steal before his first snap in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers, Cole Holcomb
Pittsburgh Steelers, Cole Holcomb / Scott Taetsch/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next

1. Isaac Seumalo (3 years, $24 million)

Isaac Seumalo has yet to play a snap in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, but this is a signing I feel very confident about. While the former Eagles offensive guard has never earned a single Pro Bowl honor in his career, he's one of the more underrated offensive linemen in the league, and his play has been outstanding in recent years.

Seumalo doesn't have elite size, length, or athletic traits for the guard position compared to his NFL peers, but he has an incredibly well-rounded skill set with a terrific blend of power, technique, and foot quickness. This makes him a quality starter at the very least.

When compared to NFL guards, there are still 15 players earning more money per year than Seumalo -- that includes Steelers RG James Daniels who they signed one year earlier during the 2022 offseason. There are lesser players and older players who are currently earning more money at the position than Seumalo. Brandon Scherff, for instance, is 31 years old and earning $16.5 million per year despite grading out significantly lower than Seumalo in 2022.

Updated Steelers 53-man roster prediction. dark. Next. Updated Steelers 53-man roster prediction

Isaac Seumalo has years of quality play under his belt, and I wouldn't be surprised if he looked like a Pro Bowl-caliber player for Pittsburgh. He graded out as a top-10 guard in the NFL last season for the Eagles and he's still just 29 years old. Good offensive linemen can last well into their 30s, and at $8 million per year, this contract could look like a steal by the end of the 2023 season.