Today’s free agent analysis for 2024 focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers DL Montravius Adams. A seven-year veteran, he just completed his third season with the team on a two-year, $5 million contract. Adams lost his starting job to star rookie Keeanu Benton but still played serviceably when on the field.
Player: Montravius Adams
Position: Nose Tackle
Experience: 7 Years
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2023 Salary Cap Hit: $3,232,500 (base salary of $2,500,000)
2023 Season Breakdown:
Montravius Adams found himself pegged as a potential roster cut heading into the 2023 season due to the Steelers’ depth. They just drafted Isaiahh Loudermilk, DeMarvin Leal, and Keeanu Benton in the previous three seasons. On top of that, they re-signed veteran Larry Ogunjobi to a sizeable new deal.
Paired with a couple of shrewd budget depth signings, the thinking was the Steelers could get by without paying Adams $2.5 million. But in spite of the pressure, he retained not only his roster spot but his starting job as well. Initially, at least.
Indeed, in some respects, he showed growth from his first season and a half on the team. He seemed to play with greater discipline in stretches. Adams played a career-high 418 snaps for the Steelers in 2023. The bulk of that, though, came in the first seven games.
He suffered an injury against the Tennessee Titans on the second snap of the game. As a result, he sat out the next four weeks while recovering, during which time Benton established himself as the starter. The Steelers didn’t look back from that point forward.
Montravius Adams’ injury and subsequent demotion will obviously impact his free-agent status. He did return to finish out the season but played reduced snaps, yet still competently. It is fair to question if the Steelers feel that they need him back, though.
Free Agency Outlook:
Still 28 years old and hitting the free agent market for the third time, Montravius Adams’s best bet is probably to re-sign with Pittsburgh. And now that it’s clear he won’t be competing for a starting job, they won’t be offering him $5 million over two years.
Still, Cameron Heyward isn’t getting any younger, and Ogunjobi isn’t getting any more productive. Loudermilk has not made significant progress over three seasons. Leal ended up inactive for much of the second half of the season. Breiden Fehoko never made the team. Armon Watts ended up rising up the ranks, but you don’t hitch your wagon to him.
I could see the Steelers re-signing Adams on a rather modest deal, perhaps a Veteran Salary Benefit contract. As of 2024, that would translate to $1,210,000 million with up to $167,500 in a signing bonus. If given the maximum amount, he would earn $1,377,000 while counting $1,152,000 against the cap. The difference between that and a college free agent rookie’s salary with no signing bonus is $357,000.
