We’ve talked and talked about the decisions the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making this coming offseason in terms of their roster and the salary cap. But if you don’t dig into it, you might not realize just how dire this situation could be. So here’s a quick breakdown of the Steelers salary cap situation heading into the offseason.
If nothing changes between now and March, the Steelers will start free agency with more than a dozen top players hitting the market and the team itself just over $21 million over the cap.
Looking at how the cap breaks down, to say the Steelers are top-heavy would be a massive understatement. Just take a look at the Top 10.
QB Ben Roethlisberger-$41.25 million
CB Joe Haden-$15.575 million
DL Stephon Tuitt-$14.94 million
DT Cam Heyward-$14.55 million
C Maurkice Pouncey-$14.475 million
CB Steven Nelson-$14.42 million
G David DeCastro-$14.297 million
LB T.J. Watt-$10.09 million
TE Eric Ebron-$8.5 million
TE Vance McDonald-$7.93 million
Those 10 contracts constitute 77 percent of the team’s entire salary cap in 2021. If the Steelers hope to be competitive in 2021, this list could be the top candidates for contract extensions and re-structures to help lighten the load and give the team some room to fill the roster.
