Earlier this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to pick up the fifth-year option on safety Terrell Edmunds, the team’s first round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. On the heels of that fifth-year option deadline passing, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said that the decision was based on salary cap-related reasons and not Edmunds’ performance. With the start of the 2021 season quickly approaching, and with Edmunds slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022, CBS Sports believes the Steelers safety is the team’s most underrated player and one on the verge of a big payday.
“The Steelers have several notable players to re-sign in the future such as T.J. Watt, but if Edmunds has another great season in 2021, he could make himself some money,” Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports wrote in his latest offering on underrated players entering the 2021 season on the verge getting rewarded heavily next offseason. “Whether that money will come from the Steelers, or another team is yet to be determined.”
While Edmunds did a have a better season in 2020, of which included him registering 68 combined tackles, eight passes defended and two interceptions in 15 games played, he still struggles to make impact plays and force turnovers in key moments of games. In his three years with the Steelers, he’s produced just three interceptions with two of them coming in 2020.
Edmunds is said a few weeks ago that he’s already moved past the Steelers deciding not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2022. He indicated during the team’s minicamp that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin called him to let him know that the organization wasn’t going to pick up his fifth-year option and that the decision not to do so effectively came down to money.
“Coach Tomlin, he called me personally,” Edmunds told reporters. “Just told me that he wasn’t going to pick my fifth-year option this year. He told me that that doesn’t mean that business is over, but just to stay motivated and come out here and do what I can. My emotions to it were, it’s my contract year now. So, everything is on a whole new level. After this year every game is like an interview. So now you got to bet on yourself, you’ve got to double down on yourself and just put it in the hard work.”
With the start of the Steelers 2021 season now right around the corner, Edmunds will need a Pro Bowl-type year in order to warrant him getting a big payday from a team next March. Even if he has such a 2021 season, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers being the team that would ultimately give the Virginia Tech a huge payday. That speculation of mine aside, Edmunds said a few weeks ago that his hope is to continue to remain a member of the Steelers past the 2021 season.
“Of course, I would love to come back to Steelers’ Nation. I mean, they’re the people that gave me the opportunity to become an NFL player, made all my dreams come true,” Edmunds said. “Definitely I’m still open for next year. Maybe we can make something happen.”
