Now that the Steelers have been eliminated from the playoffs following their Wild Card loss to the Bills, Pittsburgh's front office is going to be looking for every possible avenue to clear salary cap space and improve their roster during the 2024 offseason. This team showed life at the end of the season, but several glaring roster holes must be addressed as the Steelers look to get back on top.
Unfortunately, the salary cap has suddenly become a pressing issue for Pittsburgh. The Steelers are currently over $7 million in the hole as we approach the 2024 offseason, and money needs to be cleared if this team is going to improve their roster.
There are ways that GMs Omar Khan and Andy Weidl can go about doing this. Pittsburgh had a handful of overpaid players on their roster who didn't measure up to expectations, and cuts are sure to be made. Here are four Steelers players who will not be back in 2024.
Chukwuma Okorafor, OT
Chukwuma Okorafor's departure is pretty much a given during the 2024 offseason. The veteran offensive tackle and former 2018 third-round pick apparently ended up in the dog house with Mike Tomlin after comments he made as the Steelers were struggling.
Former GM Kevin Colbert gave Okorafor a 3-year, $29.25 million deal during the 2022 offseason, and Okorafor is still under contract through the 2024 season. However, he has a substantial cap number of $11.8 million (which is currently the fourth-highest on the team next season).
This is an awful lot of money to dish out to a former starting tackle who was demoted to be the team's swing tackle. There is value in having depth at this position, but not at this price and not with the unspectacular play we have seen from Okorafor. The Steelers can save $8.75 million by releasing him this offseason, and unless they can sucker a team into trading for him, that's exactly what will happen.
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