It didn't always look promising, but the Pittsburgh Steelers once again found a way to keep fans interested until the final stroke of the clock. Mike Tomlin's team has had something to play for in the season-finale every season since becoming the head coach back in 2007, and the Steelers got the help they needed to earn a playoff berth this year.
Unfortunately, things fizzled out rather quickly when they met the Bills in the Wild Card Round, and this team is still searching for postseason success -- something it hasn't seen in seven years. General managers Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have their work cut out for them during the offseason in an effort to make this team a true competitor.
At the moment, Pittsburgh is in the salary cap hole entering the 2024 offseason, but they can quickly generate significant cap space with a few easy cuts. They might have given it their best run, but these three players have definitely played their final game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Allen Robinson, WR
Trading for Allen Robinson just days before the 2023 NFL Draft was probably my least favorite move that Omar Khan has made early in his tenure as the Steelers' GM. Robinson looked completely washed up on the Rams in 2022, and injuries have plagued the aging receiver in each of the past two seasons.
I had low expectations for the 30-year-old wide-out in 2023, but somehow, Robinson fell short of meeting those. Despite being listed as one of the team's starting receivers for all 17 games during the regular season, Robinson mustered up just 280 receiving yards and failed to score a touchdown, per Pro Football Reference. His 5.7 yards per target when passed to was the worst mark of his NFL career, and Steelers quarterbacks collectively had a 75.2 passer rating when throwing his direction.
Now take all of this mediocrity and combine it with the fact that Robinson has an $11.9 million cap hit and Pittsburgh could save $10 million by cutting him. Robinson is going to be a 31-year-old receiver who had horrible production in 2023 and doesn't play special teams. This is the easiest decision the front office could make in 2024.