Today’s free agent analysis for 2024 focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers LS Christian Kuntz. Always the most exciting position to analyze, Kuntz is the only specialist on the list. As a three-year veteran, he is also the first restricted free agent on the list after going through the unrestricted.
Player: Christian Kuntz
Position: Long Snapper
Experience: 3 Years
Free Agent Status: Restricted
2023 Salary Cap Hit: $940,000
2023 Season Breakdown:
Once again, I am not going to make any effort to present myself as some special teams whisperer. I do not pretend to know a great deal about the details and nuances of special teams play. What I do know is that Christian Kuntz has kept his job for three years now.
Perhaps that isn’t saying much, though. The Steelers just released P Pressley Harvin III after drafting him three seasons ago. The two of them made the 53-man roster together in 2021, beating out Kameron Canaday and Jordan Berry. Both Kanaday and Berry enjoyed careers of decent length in Pittsburgh before the Steelers opted for the alternatives.
With Harvin gone, perhaps there is less incentive to retain Kuntz as part of the kicking process. Truth be told, for the past few years Harvin had done a good job of wrangling in a number of Kuntz’s errant snaps. For what it’s worth, he has been consistently one of the lowest-graded long snappers by Pro Football Focus.
His 45.3 overall grade in 2023 ranked as the fourth-worst among all long snappers. He did finally record some tackles with five on the season. He had just two during his first two seasons.
Free Agency Outlook:
Let’s just get this first part out of the way: there is no chance in hell the Steelers tender Christian Kuntz. Over the Cap projects the Right of First Refusal Tender at a value of $2,828,000. Nobody in their right mind pays an average long snapper that kind of money. At the moment, no long snapper is making more than an average of $1,616,250 per season. That figure belongs to 32-year-old veteran Luke Rhodes of the Indianapolis Colts.
While the Steelers will not tender him, they still might as well re-sign him. A simple Veteran Salary Benefit contract that likely does not include a signing bonus should suffice. The minimum salary for 2024 for a player with three years of experience is $1,055,000. With no signing bonus, his VSB deal would count $985,000 against the cap.
And the Steelers should of course pursue a challenger. They will surely add at least one long snapper over the course of the offseason, likely a rookie free agent. If Kuntz wins and retains his job, so be it. They have bigger problems—including their lack of a punter at the moment.
