Today’s free agent analysis for 2024 focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Jermiah Moon. The second-year veteran went undrafted out of Florida in 2022. Spending the past two years with the Baltimore Ravens, he only officially became a Steeler about a week ago. We will dig into those details below but suffice it to say that the Steelers inherited his free agency status.
Player: Jeremiah Moon
Position: Outside Linebacker
Experience: 1 Year
Free Agent Status: Exclusive Rights
2023 Salary Cap Hit: $750,000
2023 Season Breakdown:
This is a little complicated given that Jeremiah Moon’s 2023 season didn’t come with the Steelers. I’ve frankly never written a free agency analysis for a player who never spent a second of a season with the team. So we should begin by examining the circumstances.
The Baltimore Ravens employed Moon pretty consistently since going undrafted out of Florida in 2022. He spent time on the practice squad but played in eight games with one start in 2023. He registered 12 tackles in all with two forced fumbles. Logging 99 defensive snaps and 142 on special teams.
They waived him on Jan. 25 in order to open a roster spot for TE Mark Andrews. Andrews spent much of the year on the Reserve/Injured List due to injury, and Moon found himself the low man on the totem pole.
While teams can claim players off waivers during the postseason, the league doesn’t officially reward them until after the postseason. It’s a matter of competitive advantage. Thus the Steelers only officially claimed Moon off waivers on Feb. 13, though they knew all along.
Free Agency Outlook:
But as a second-year player with an expiring contract, the Steelers are also inheriting a free agent. In this case, he is an exclusive rights free agent, which is hardly a free agent at all. He has no freedom beyond opting not to sign a contract.
An exclusive rights free agent can only sign whatever contract the team that holds his rights offers him. He can only sign with another team if his rights holder opts not to offer him a contract. Since the Steelers bothered to claim him, they clearly intend to sign him.
The minimum salary for a second-year player in 2024 is $915,000. The Steelers will offer Moon a one-year, $915,000 contract, and he will sign it. He will have no signing bonus, and he will have to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster.
We can reasonably assume that the Steelers believe he has a chance to compete for a spot, though. He does have talent, and you can always use pass-rusher depth. Still, they may be wary of cutting him, lest the Ravens try to claim him back next year.
