Steelers working on a contract extension with Cameron Sutton before free agency

As reporters were flooded with media sessions at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager, Omar Khan, took the podium to address numerous questions ranging from his similarities to Kevin Colbert to his draft philosophy.

Khan also spoke to the media on the topic of Cameron Sutton. Pittsburgh's top cornerback is currently an unrestricted free agent who is set to hit the open market soon, and fans are worried that the Steelers may not be able to retain him. Fortunately, we received some good news.

Brooke Pryor of ESPN reports that the team has begun contract negotiations with Sutton in an effort to lock up their top cornerback for the foreseeable future. Khan had kind words to say about one of their defensive leaders.

Those who watched Sutton closely this past season didn't have a hard time figuring out how much better he was than the other cornerbacks on the team. After surrendering 617 yards and allowing a passer rating of 104.9 in 2021, Sutton took a big step forward -- giving up just 388 yards and tempting quarterbacks to throw his way with an impressive 65.3 passer rating allowed.

Though Sutton was credited with allowing four touchdowns in coverage, he made up for them with 3 interceptions and a career-high 15 passes defended. His efforts resulted in him being listed as the 28th-highest-graded cornerback in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus, though other advanced metrics would suggest that he was even better than that.

Steelers may not have Sutton under contract before free agency

Now, just because the Steelers have officially entered contract negotiations with Sutton's agent doesn't mean that both sides will agree to terms before free agency. In fact, unless an offer from Pittsburgh is over the top, there isn't a lot of incentive for Sutton not to at least dip his feet into the free-agent waters.

This year's free-agent cornerback group is lacking both youth and talent, and Cam Sutton is among the best cornerbacks that teams could possibly bid on this offseason. If another team comes in with an offer he can't refuse, it's still possible that the veteran cornerback could be playing elsewhere in 2023.

According to Sportrac.com, Sutton is projected to earn $7.6 million per season in average annual earnings on his next deal. This seems manageable for the Steelers, and one or two simple cuts could free up the space they need to get this done.

At the very least, Omar Khan is doing his part to try to make sure one of his best defenders returns to the team as the Pittsburgh Steelers attempt to make a playoff push. It will be interesting to see if the two sides can put pen to paper before free agency kicks off.